The 'Hyport' plant as it is envisaged would be the largest hydrogen plant of its size in the Benelux region. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

The port of Ostend, in collaboration with Deme Concessions and investment company PMV, wants to build a green hydrogen plant in the industrial port area of Plassendale 1 by 2025.

Backed by the former Flemish Minister for Energy Bart Tommelein (Open VLD) and current mayor of Ostend, the so-called ‘Hyport’ plant would produce green hydrogen; hydrogen produced using renewable energy sources.

Not only would the green hydrogen produced be a source of energy for transport and to store, but, if produced correctly by electrolysis, no carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. That is to say that the project coordinators are aiming for production of green hydrogen by the the ‘Hyport’ plant to reduce carbon monoxide production by between 500,000 and 1,000,000 tonnes per year.

Further still, the ‘Hyport’ plant will be able to temporarily store the surplus green energy, or to use it as raw material for the local industry, De Standaard explains.

“We are mainly aiming at mobility,” said CEO of the port of Ostend, Dirk Declerck, adding that the green hydrogen will be used for “cars, buses, but also ships,” Radio 2 explains.

The project is currently in a study phase. This means that the general feasibility of the plan and its development is under further investigation. If all goes to plan, by 2022, the rollout of a large-scale shore-based power project using green hydrogen will begin and the final steps will take place in 2025.

The ‘Hyport’ plant as it is envisaged would be the largest hydrogen plant of its size in the Benelux region.

Although, however, this is not the first project to investigate the possibility of a hydrogen plant in Belgium. For example, towards the end of 2019, Belgian retailer group, Colruyt, and gas grid manager, Fluxys, announced plans to build a hydrogen electrolysis plant in the harbour of Zeebrugge in Antwerp, writes New Mobility.

Evie McCullough

The Brussels Times