DATS 24 and Colruyt Group make hydrogen technically feasible and affordable.
Colruyt Group sees a lot of potential in hydrogen as an alternative, sustainable fuel for vehicles. It is therefore very important that the group, together with DATS 24, is already gaining experience with an innovative public hydrogen filling station.
Available for everyone
In the DATS 24 station of Halle (Dassenveld) you can now find all classic and alternative fuels. Including 100% green hydrogen, locally produced with the green power from our own wind turbines.
Within the Hydrogen Region 2.0 project, DATS 24 is responsible for the distribution of hydrogen. This means that DATS 24 will bear the investment in the tank column (the filling point).
We have now received the final permit for the construction of a new hydrogen filling station in Antwerp (Wilrijk). The orders for the infrastructure will go out soon. In the coming months, we will also work out the electrical connection further in conjunction with ISVAG.
Thanks to the definitive license, we can now actively search for more customers for hydrogen cars, in addition to the confirmation from a number of users. We are also working together with the City of Antwerp on the introduction of 2 hydrogen refuse trucks.
Producing green hydrogen
The group has been producing hydrogen itself since 2012 at the Dassenveld distribution center in Halle. It concerns 100% green hydrogen , which we produce with renewable energy from the wind turbines and solar panels of energy producer Eoly. These are also on the site itself. In short, this way we also tackle the CO2 problem on top of fine dust.
Great expertise
In addition, within the Hydrogen Region Flanders-Netherlands project, Colruyt Group has already invested in test programs with, among other things, the first hydrogen-powered lift trucks, refueling with the hydrogen filling station built by WaterstofNet within the Interreg project mentioned. This means that since 2009, Colruyt Group has already acquired a great deal of knowledge and practical experience and has thus developed important insights into hydrogen. The acquired competences ensure that Colruyt Group is eventually ready to further develop the hydrogen mobility market in the region.
Making hydrogen energy affordable
Based on the experiences with the Hydrogen Region Flanders-the Netherlands, Colruyt Group has made additional investments in personnel and people to further develop the hydrogen story through industrial research. The target? As ‘visionary end user’ in Hydrogen region 2.0, take the next steps in optimizing hydrogen fuel infrastructure and forklift trucks. This allows us to make this low-carbon technology more affordable and technically feasible through innovations.
For this we will extensively test a number of different material handling devices and communicate the results externally. Active development of such a program with industrial players is an important motivation for Colruyt Group to participate in this project. Because this way we can also activate other end users.
Source: Dats24
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