H2BE
H2BE receives support from European Innovation Fund
We are extremely proud to share that H2BE has been selected by the EU Innovation Fund in the ‘general decarbonization large scale’-category and has received an invitation to negotiate the Innovation Fund grant. The Innovation Fund is one of the world’s largest funding programs for the deployment of net-zero and innovative technologies that aims to bring to market solutions that decarbonize European industry and support its transition to climate neutrality while fostering competitiveness. This fund is crucial to help businesses invest in clean energy and industry while boosting economic growth and creating future-proof jobs.
H2BE represents a significant leap forward in our efforts to combat climate change. With this support from the Innovation Fund, the European Union recognizes the importance of H2BE in providing low-carbon hydrogen to industry and projects which are part of this innovative “first of a kind” ecosystem. This recognition will be instrumental in accelerating the development and deployment of H2BE that will scale up the production capabilities for low-carbon hydrogen in Belgium, as well as the infrastructure development for both low-carbon and renewable hydrogen. It also represents an important step forward for taking on the remaining challenges such as ensuring suitable policies from the European Commission and Member States on the low-carbon economy to allow a sustainable way to decarbonize our industries.
“Receiving this grant invitation is a huge stamp of approval from the EU for H2BE and for low-carbon hydrogen as a key decarbonization tool for Flanders, Belgium, and Europe. This funding is a testament to our commitment to innovation and sustainability. We are excited to collaborate with Equinor to bring this visionary project to life.”
Mathieu Ablard, Project Director of ENGIE
“We are very grateful for the EU IF’s recognition of the crucial role that low-carbon hydrogen will play in taking us to a net-zero future. We see this as an important step from the EU towards implementing policies and regulations that will enable our customers to commit to this value chain development. We greatly value our partnership with ENGIE in developing this project, where the complementary nature of our two companies and cultures enables us to achieve more by working together.”
Helene Røsand, Project Director of Equinor
For more information regarding the Innovation Fund, please visit Innovation Fund projects – European Commission.
H2BE at Belgian Economic Mission to Norway
From 16 to 19 June 2024, Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid of Belgium, led an economic mission to the Kingdom of Norway. A broad economic and academic delegation traveled to Oslo to promote Belgium as an attractive partner and gateway to the European market. The program included meetings with local companies, seminars and company visits to the main players in the Belgian economy present in Norway. Additionally, there were exchanges between Belgian and Norwegian academics aimed at expanding cooperation between research institutions.
Norway and Belgium share strong and longstanding trade relations, with energy playing an important role. ENGIE and Equinor were important participants of the mission. The two partners of the H2BE project had the chance to present their longstanding relationship and to elaborate on the development of H2BE that, once in operation, will produce 200 000 tonnes of low carbon hydrogen per year at the ENGIE Rodenhuize site in North Sea Port (Ghent). This low carbon hydrogen, as well as other carbon capture (and usage) projects (CCUS), will allow the decarbonization of hard to abate industrials, who are key to the Belgian economy and will help Belgium achieve its greenhouse gas reduction targets.
During the mission Equinor and ENGIE hosted a roundtable dinner with participants from industry, ports and infrastructure and policy representatives of Flanders, Wallonia and the Belgian Federal level. The ‘Oslo Declaration’ on Carbon Capture Use and Storage (CCUS) was signed by both H2BE partners and the other Belgian industrial players. The declaration, which was handed over to Belgian policymakers, calls for the necessary support to develop the low carbon value chains. CCUS solutions are an important lever to reach net zero carbon. It is important for Belgium to extend its current energy hub role for natural gas and power towards hydrogen and CO2. Realizing a large project at scale like H2BE will contribute to this and kickstart the hydrogen and CO2 value chains in Belgium.
The mission was concluded with a visit at the ‘Northern Lights’ site, Norway’s first commercial storage for CO2 on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Equinor is one of the major investors of Northern Lights. The project has developed the world’s first open-source CO2 transport and storage infrastructure. When finalized later this fall, it will provide a safe and permanent storage option for CO2 that is removed from industrial processes.
Stakeholder Event H2BE
On 6 June, Grete Tveit (SVP for Low Carbon Solutions Equinor) and Vincent Verbeke (CEO ENGIE Belgium) had the pleasure of welcoming over 100 stakeholders at the annual H2BE Stakeholder Event in Brussels (Belgium).
A complete update on H2BE was presented to all participants who were eager to discover the project’s next steps. In addition, key stakeholders and industrial players testified about their carbon neutrality roadmaps and the importance of the development of solutions at scale, like H2BE, that are able to kickstart the H2 and CO2 value chains. At the end of the day, we organized an insightful panel discussion among industry leaders to identify common challenges and necessary steps forward.
The event was concluded at the historical Town Hall of the city of Brussels in the presence of the Mayor of Brussels and the Ambassador of Norway to Belgium.