The Flemish government will invest 106.3 million euros in five major hydrogen projects. Flemish Minister for Innovation and Economy Hilde Crevits (CD&V) announced this on Monday during a press conference in the Leuven research center imec.
The projects include the construction of hydrogen plants to produce sustainable hydrogen, the use of hydrogen to make sustainable steel or the conversion of CO2 back into sustainable fuels.
The five projects are IPCEI projects: they are projects that serve a common European interest. The European Union wants to encourage member states to join forces and financial resources. When a project is approved by the Union, it can count on more extensive state aid. So there is no European money involved, but there is extra support from the Member States concerned.
Some projects are based on different ports, such as the port of Zeebrugge, Ghent and Antwerp. In the port of Ghent, for example, hydrogen will be produced from renewable energy in the future.
That hydrogen is in turn transformed into methonal, which can be used as fuel for heavy transport. The port of Zeebrugge will be produced from wind energy. Another project, by ArcelorMittal, wants to use hydrogen to produce sustainable steel.
The five Flemish projects are now before the European Commission for approval. At the end of this year or the beginning of next year, it should become clear which will receive an approval, but according to Minister Crevits there is little reason to believe that they will not get the green light. In a subsequent project round, a further five projects will be submitted to the Commission.
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