The Antwerp@C project takes an important next step towards halving the CO2 footprint
Engineering has started, final investment decision expected by the end of 2022
Antwerp@C, an initiative of Air Liquide, BASF, Borealis, ExxonMobil, INEOS, TotalEnergies, Fluxys and Port of Antwerp has the ambition to support the industry's efforts to reduce CO 2 emissions in the port of Antwerp by 50% by 2030 by building a common CO 2 infrastructure. With the start of the engineering, the project now reaches a new milestone towards more sustainable, lower-carbon production in the port of Antwerp. The seven leading chemical and energy companies want to make an important contribution to the climate objectives of Belgium and the EU. The project aims to reduce CO 2 in the coming years at reasonable costscapture and export it for storage in offshore storage capacities or to make it available for possible future reuse. After completion of the engineering, a final investment decision for the first phase is expected at the end of 2022.
Start of engineering (FEED phase)
After conducting a feasibility study in 2021, Antwerp@C has now made the decision to move on to the next phase and start the engineering. In this phase, the construction of a central “backbone” through the port of Antwerp along the industrial zones on both the right and left banks of the Scheldt will be further elaborated. A common CO 2liquefaction unit with intermediate storage and maritime loading facilities for cross-border shipping are also part of the engineering. These studies are partially funded through a Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) grant awarded in October 2020, through grants from the Flemish government for the feasibility study and through contributions from all consortium participants. After the engineering is complete, a final investment decision for the first phase is expected at the end of 2022.
In the meantime, Fluxys, Air Liquide and Pipelink (a subsidiary of Port of Antwerp) have held an 'Open Season' to map the initial demand for the proposed CO 2 infrastructure. The Open Season was an invitation to all companies in the spacious port area of ​​Antwerp to express their interest in CO 2 transport and/or CO 2 terminal infrastructure in Antwerp. The market response is taken into account to make a final investment decision.
The port of Antwerp, pioneer in carbon capture
The port of Antwerp is home to the largest integrated energy and chemical cluster in Europe. It is therefore the ideal location to set up new, cross-border collaboration projects for innovative CO 2 reduction. To this end, Air Liquide, BASF, Borealis, ExxonMobil, INEOS, TotalEnergies, Fluxys and Port of Antwerp joined forces at the end of 2019 under the name Antwerp@C, to investigate the technical and economic feasibility of building a CO 2 - infrastructure to support future CCUS (Carbon Capture Utilization & Storage) applications. Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS) and possibly also Carbon Capture & Utilization (CCU) – i.e. the reuse of CO 2as a raw material for the chemical industry – are seen as important avenues in the transition of the Port of Antwerp to a carbon neutral port. This innovative cross-border CCUS project would be one of the first and the world's largest multimodal open access CO2 export facilities.
Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO Port of Antwerp: " It is now time to take the step towards a carbon neutral economy. Europe is a global leader. With Antwerp@C, Port of Antwerp holds the key to an innovative cross-border CCUS project. a first in concept and scale.We are very excited to move on to the next phase of technical studies, as this project will contribute to the Flemish, Belgian and European climate targets and to the higher EU 2030 targets for emission reductions up to at least 55%."
Wouter de Geest, chairman of Antwerp@C: " The important decision to start the engineering of such a complex project confirms the commitment of all partners with regard to their climate ambitions. The support of this commitment by various governments was indispensable to to make this decision and will also remain indispensable during the further development of the project.Together we are much stronger and we can transform the industrial cluster in the port of Antwerp. ”
Pascal De Buck, CEO Fluxys: “The Antwerp@C project is part of Fluxys' global project approach to help build the necessary decarbonisation infrastructure throughout Belgium and to neighboring countries. We are working with concrete infrastructure proposals for both CO 2 and hydrogen, currently in five and soon in six major industrial clusters. Together with the market, we prepare the infrastructure step by step. In the industrial clusters, between the clusters and also with connections to neighboring countries such as Antwerp. In this way, our country will become a hub for the molecules for a carbon neutral future.”
Media contact:
Frederik Pieters
+32 486 09 08 81
About Air Liquide
Air Liquide, a global leader in gases, technologies and services for industry and healthcare, is present in 78 countries with approximately 64,500 employees and serves more than 3.8 million customers and patients. Oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen are essential small molecules for life, matter and energy. They embody Air Liquide's scientific domain and have been at the heart of the company's activities since its foundation in 1902.
Air Liquide's ambition is to be a leader in its sector and a long-term performer. It wants to contribute to a sustainable world - with a strong commitment to the climate and the energy transition at the core of its strategy. The company's customer-centric transformation strategy is focused on profitable, regular and responsible growth over the long term. It relies on operational excellence, selective investments, open innovation and a network organization implemented by the Group worldwide. Thanks to the commitment and innovative strength of its employees, Air Liquide is tackling the challenges of the energy and environmental transition, providing solutions for changes in healthcare and digitization, and providing added value to all its stakeholders.
Air Liquide's turnover amounted to more than 20 billion euros in 2020. Air Liquide is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange (compartment A) and is part of the CAC 40, EURO STOXX 50 and FTSE4Good indices.
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