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Antwerp@C commits to CO2 reduction

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Nico D'Haese Principal Advisor Infrastructure

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Belgium
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Antwerp@C commits to CO2 reduction

First environmental permit for CO2 network in Belgium

The Port of Antwerp is home to the largest integrated energy and chemical cluster in Europe. It is an ideal environment for setting up pioneering collaborative projects for CO2 reduction. That is why major players in the port joined forces under the name Antwerp@C in 2019. Their goal? To reduce CO2 emissions in the port of Antwerp by 50% by 2030 with the construction of a shared CO2 infrastructure. Among other things, we helped them with the environmental permit, creating Belgium's first CO2 network.

The assignment

Antwerp@c is the collective name of industrial players Fluxys, Air Liquide, BASF, Borealis, Ineos, ExxonMobil, Total and Port of Antwerp-Bruges. After completing a feasibility study in 2021, Antwerp@C gave the green light to start the engineering phase. This phase involves designing a key "backbone" that will run right through the port of Antwerp, along the industrial sites on both the right and left banks of the Scheldt.

The project is expected to significantly reduce carbon emissions from industrial processes in the region. This will immediately contribute to the European Union's target of zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The infrastructure will be the basis for the further development and expansion of the (inter)national CO2 network in which the port of Antwerp will play an important role at European level.

The solution

Antea Group was commissioned by Antwerp@C not only to investigate the feasibility of the project, but also to handle the engineering process and the permit process for the construction of a 22-kilometre pipeline to capture and transport CO2 on the right bank.

In April 2023, the environmental permit for this pipeline was obtained, marking an important milestone for the construction of the very first CO2 network in Belgium. This marks concrete steps towards making the realisation of this ambitious project possible. It promises a great leap forward in the fight against climate change, where innovation and sustainability go hand in hand.