- The First Filling Was Successful.
This hydrogen filling station in Antwerp, Belgium, provides the unique combination of refueling and bunkering. Refueling for light and heavy hydrogen vehicles such as cars, buses, trucks and special vehicles.
Bunkering for ships such as passenger ship Hydroville, but in the future also tugs, service ships and inland vessels. In addition, it offers the fastest charging stations for battery electric vehicles.
The complete project management from initial vision to operational installation is provided by the Dutch Ekinetix. The network of hydrogen filling points is still very thin. That is why this multifunctional station is a welcome addition, where any type of vehicle can immediately make use of.
The first filling of the car took place on Thursday 1 April, which was successful. Engineers from Toyota Motor Europe passed their tests on behalf of the Clean Energy Partnership, which proved successful. An exciting and beautiful moment, because then it appears that the installation is technically ready.
Engineering and advisory firm Ekinetix is proud that, despite the challenging circumstances, the project was completed on time.
Project manager Paul Blankenvoorde, who led the entire project said, “Excellent cooperation with suppliers and contractors in Belgium and from various foreign countries. The station was completed within 7 months, unique in the market where routes often run for years. ”
Blankenvoorde: “This station provides the unique combination of refueling and bunkering, as well as the option to fill hydrogen tube trailers. The hydrogen produced can thus be used or sold elsewhere.”
The station is located in a strategic location in Antwerp with good connections to both the city and motorways. This station will be able to facilitate the upscaling of vehicles in this dynamic Antwerp region.
Commercial director Jaco Reijerkerk said, “This project that Ekinetix is carrying out for the ambitious CMB.TECH fits perfectly into our strategic vision of projects. This is not a standard station but a full-fledged energy hub, we always deliver just the next step. Where it becomes technically or organisationally complex, we unburden our customers. Our goal is to accelerate the energy transition and are happy to help a party such as CMB to make its own fleet more sustainable, and to fulfill its function in the network of filling stations. Good cooperation with the customer and other partners and contractors is essential in reaching this.”
This multifunctional energy hub provides for the production, storage and delivery of green hydrogen. The location is equipped with a 1.2 MW PEM electrolyser. The electricity used is certified green and therefore guaranteed zero emissions. An important functionality is the filling of tube trailers with hydrogen for use elsewhere. In this way, the electricity price can be anticipated and the electrolyser can achieve high utilization, even if there is just no vehicle at the pump or a boat has to be bunkered. In addition, there is room for the fastest charging stations on the market with a capacity of 350 kW.
As such, this station guarantees the full range of zero-emission mobility. The installation is fully operational, producing green hydrogen, filling trailers, filling point for shipping and filling columns for cars, buses and trucks. Some routine tests will be performed in the coming weeks. The station will officially open to the public in May. The filling bay can be approached from two sides, so that a bus and a car can be refueled simultaneously.
Engineering and advisory firm Ekinetix provides such unique projects. Previously, they realized several hydrogen filling stations in different countries, worked on projects in industry, mobility and the built environment. They are also involved in CO2 installations in the industry and provide consultancy work.
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