Developing import capacity in Europe

Fluxys, Advario issues EOI for ammonia capacity at new terminal

Looking ahead to the beginning of commercial operations in 2027, Fluxys and Advario have issued a call for market interest in ammonia import capacity at their new, open-access terminal at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges. The terminal will be built at the existing Advario Gas Terminal site.

The partners not only want to gauge capacity interest during, but also what the “associated ecosystem” of ammonia infrastructure needs to look like in Antwerp-Bruges, including ammonia transport pipelines. Interested stakeholders can engage here.

The joint initiative of Advario and Fluxys, developing an innovative import terminal for low-carbon-ammonia infrastructure, fits perfectly with our ambition and supports our objective to be a key hub for importing and exporting essential molecules for a carbon-neutral economy. This initiative aims to accelerate the transition to cleaner energy sources, ultimately contributing to a more sustainable future for Flanders and beyond.

Jan Jambon, Minister-President of Flanders in Fluxys’ official press release, 4 June 2024

Fluxys, the Port of Antwerp-Bruges and Hinicio are engaged in the HyBex project, a pilot trading hub that will enable a hydrogen market in Belgium. The partners will develop and pilot-test a commodity trading hub for hydrogen, as well as explore the required infrastructure and certification requirements for a nation-wide hydrogen network in Belgium, beginning with imports at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges.

This network will be “hydrogen balanced”, with ammonia crackers, hydrogen storage, fertilizer production and other services potentially acting as flexibility providers to keep network operations stable. Interested parties can explore this “balancing” aspect at an upcoming webinar presented by the HyBex project partners on Wednesday June 19th at 2PM CEST (readers are of course welcome to join us for Ammonia Project Features straight afterwards at 3PM CEST).

Rotterdam, Shannon Foynes ports to explore supply chain

Earlier this year, the Port of Rotterdam and the Port of Shannon Foynes (Ireland’s largest bulk cargo port) announced they would develop a green fuels corridor, linking wind-powered production in Ireland with Rotterdam import terminals. The pair are targeting a variety of off-takers in Europe, including maritime fuels, SAF, fertilizers, and “direct users” like steel.

With the largest wind resource in Europe off our west coast, we have the opportunity to become Europe’s leading renewable energy generation hub. That will deliver transformational change for Ireland in terms of energy independence and an unprecedented economic gain in the process. In delivering on this, too, we can make our biggest ever contribution to the European project as we become a very significant contributor to REPowerEU, Europe’s plan to end reliance on fossil fuels.

Patrick Keating, CEO of Shannon Foynes Port Company in the Port of Rotterdam’s official press release, 30 Jan 2024