Plug has signed a 30-year concession agreement to build a facility in Europe’s second largest Belgian port. The company plans to build a 100 MW green hydrogen facility with its own electrolytic cell and liquefaction technology. As part of the agreement, 28 hectares of land were leased.
Therefore, the plug produces up to 12,500 tonnes of liquid and gaseous green hydrogen annually for the European market. Construction of the facility will begin at the end of 2023 after the permit process is completed. The first production of green hydrogen is expected to start at the end of 2024 and the plant is expected to go into operation in 2025. As Europe tackles climate change and energy security challenges, an agreement with the Port of Antwerp Bruges will provide the local market with the long-awaited locally produced green hydrogen, said Andy Marsh, CEO of Plug. The European energy crisis due to geopolitical risks has accelerated the demand for green hydrogen development projects.
Flanders Prime Minister Jan Jumbon said: Hydrogen plays an important role in energy conversion and at the same time provides Flanders with many economic and social opportunities. With the strategic location of the port and the know-how of companies, research centers and educational institutions, there are all the prerequisites for becoming a hydrogen hub in Western Europe. The port of Antwerp Bruges is strategically located in Europe. Located in the heart of the largest chemical industry cluster, close to the North Sea, it offers transportation connections to Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and France.
This should make this port an important hydrogen hub for Europe. Through its new green hydrogen facility, Plug aims to play an important role in helping ports achieve this goal. The location of the site provides the opportunity for rapid on-site power supply of wind turbines near the site, and the power connection point is less than a mile away.
In addition, the site provides customers with access to water, roads, railroads and pipelines to supply green hydrogen. A freely accessible hydrogen pipeline will be built along the site. Plug has signed a contract with Fluxys and conducted a feasibility study to enable connectivity to the pipeline. The pipeline will be part of Europe’s open access hydrogen backbone. The plug will be built in the NextGen area of the port, a business-only area that supports the circular economy. The announcement of this project demonstrates the strength of transatlantic collaboration between international technology companies and European port operators.