July 26, 2024
After years of delay, the starting signal has been given for constructing the first green hydrogen factory in Zeebrugge. The final investment decision was taken on Thursday. The 25-megawatt renewable hydrogen factory, Hyoffwind, is a project by Virya Energy (Colruyt family) and two partners: German industrial gas specialist Messer and Hyoffgreen. The latter is a […]
July 25, 2024
The average car on the Belgian market is getting longer, wider, and heavier, reducing available space on roads and in cities. This trend has been going on for some time now. In 2023, the Belgian automobile fleet represented about 6 million vehicles, occupying a space corresponding to 9,787 football fields. Ten years ago, it would […]
July 24, 2024
The Californian Monarch Tractor wants to conquer the European market from Belgium and, therefore, intends to build a new head office there. The pioneer in self-driving electric tractors is counting on the financial support of Flemish government investor PMV. With the Welfare Fund established as a recovery vehicle, PMV invested substantially in the American company. […]
July 22, 2024
The European Union and Serbia have signed an agreement to cooperate on lithium extraction and the production of batteries for electric cars. On Friday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic signed a partnership agreement with the EU to supply strategic raw materials. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was also present. Serbia wants to allow carmakers Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, and […]
July 22, 2024
The Dutch Fastned recently inaugurated a seventh fast-charging station for electric cars on the Ringlaan in Maasmechelen (Limburg, Belgium). Fastned’s latest fast charging station has eight charging places with a maximum capacity of 400 kW. In the long term, six additional charging stations can be added. The first station in Maasmechelen, with four charging stations, […]
July 19, 2024
Serbia wants to allow carmakers Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, and Stellantis to buy lithium from the large lithium mine in the west of the country that mining group Rio Tinto is building there. Barely a week after a Serbian court decision allowed the resumption of the controversial lithium mining project, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told the German […]
July 18, 2024
According to Dutch energy expert Koen Kuijper, author of the website ‘energievergelijk.nl’ (‘energy comparison’), holidaymakers pay significantly different rates for electric charging abroad. Prices often vary depending on the country where they ‘refuel’. “Anyone who will soon be going on or returning from a holiday abroad with an electric car would be wise to compare […]
July 16, 2024
A new joint study by Fraunhofer ISI and Amazon provides critical insights into the optimal number and location of public fast-charging stations required to enable the widespread electrification of long-haul trucking in Europe. The study suggests that just 1,000 charging stations equipped with Megawatt Charging System (MCS) outlets could enable about 91% of expected long-haul […]
July 15, 2024
A large consortium of companies, including the Belgian green energy companies Aspiravi and Elicio, dredging company DEME, and energy companies Engie and Eneco, wants to participate in a tender for the new wind farms to be built in the Princess Elisabeth zone, the new Belgian energy island in the North Sea where wind farms will […]
July 15, 2024
Energy provider Luminus, a subsidiary of the French EDF, intends to build a giant battery park on its site in Ghent. On Friday, the company announced it has submitted a permit application for a battery project with a storage capacity of 400 megawatt hours and a capacity of 100 megawatts. That should be sufficient for […]
July 12, 2024
Serbia’s highest court opened the way on Thursday to authorize a lithium mining project by mining giant Rio Tinto after a government decision that suspended it while many activists remain firmly opposed. Rio Tinto welcomed the court’s decision. At the same time, project director Chad Blewitt wanted to be reassuring by telling AFP that the […]
July 12, 2024
On Thursday, the construction of the Pukkelpop festival village started in Hasselt. This year’s edition will be greener—or rather bluer—thanks to the use of so-called ‘blue diesel’. For the first time, all forklift trucks, off-road buggies, and generators used on the site – from now until the end of the festival = will run on […]
July 11, 2024
Electra, the European specialist in fast chargers for electric vehicles, and Uber, the largest ride-hailing platform in Belgium, have entered into a partnership on fast chargers. Together, they want to accelerate the transition to electric driving. Throughout Belgium, drivers who use the Uber platform will be able to charge faster and cheaper with Electra. They […]
July 10, 2024
The municipality of Flobecq, in the province of Hainaut in Belgium, and the Materia Nova research center have started a pilot project on a farm in Flobecq. The project’s goal is to convert pig urine into hydrogen via electrocatalysis. The process has already been tested in the laboratory with synthetic urine and will now be […]
July 09, 2024
French truck manufacturer Renault is electrifying its in-house logistics flows with its own electric trucks. The first stage of this project will focus on electrifying the axle transport between its two production sites in Lyon and Bourg-en-Bresse. This electrification of logistics will allow 440,000 kilometers to be driven by e-vehicles, saving 375 tons of CO2 […]
July 08, 2024
According to mobility federation Traxio, registrations of new motorcycles during the first six months of 2024 increased slightly to 15,542 units (+1.7%) despite the exceptionally wet weather. Only June was disappointing (-20.2%, 2,907 ex.), maybe because many people thought about their summer holidays rather than buying a new motorcycle. Flanders is growing by +3.5% and […]
July 04, 2024
According to the environmental organization Transport & Environment (T&E), the number of dangerous Dodge Rams on European roads is “disturbingly high and continues to rise”. In 2023, about 5,000 new Dodge Rams were imported into Europe, up 20% from the previous year. There are now at least 20,000 Dodge Rams on European roads. The EU […]
July 03, 2024
Oil giant Shell has temporarily halted the construction of a biofuel factory in Pernis, near Rotterdam (Netherlands) – one of Europe’s largest biofuel plants. The pause should give the company space to assess the best commercial path forward for the project. It is the latest low-carbon energy project to be shelved by an energy giant […]
July 02, 2024
Cargo transporter DHL Express at Brussels Airport is leading the way in electrifying its ground-handling equipment. The company’s crew buses and tarmac cars are already 100% electric, and over the past days and weeks, the company has put eleven electric tractors and thirteen electric container lifts, belly loaders, and pushbacks into operation at Brussels Airport. […]
July 01, 2024
Last week, heavy protests arose again against a large lithium project in western Serbia. Rio Tinto, the Australian mining giant, wants to exploit the thousands of tons of lithium abounding in this region. However, the demonstrators fear pollution of the soil and air. The ‘Jadar mine’, as the project is called, refers to the Jadar […]
July 01, 2024
Last Saturday, Dredging company DEME signed a cooperation agreement with the Egyptian government to establish an industrial-scale green hydrogen production facility in Egypt’s western desert. The wind and solar energy infrastructure will be located 70 kilometers away and connected to the factory by a high-voltage line. The new HYPORT green hydrogen production plant will be […]
June 28, 2024
According to figures from the European statistics agency Eurostat, renewable energy was the most important source of electricity in the European Union in 2023. The supply of renewables – sun and wind – increased by 4.4% compared to 2022, and the amount of electricity produced by renewables increased by 12.4%. Last year, renewable energy represented […]
June 27, 2024
The Brussels Motor Show will return to its traditional location and date. Car enthusiasts will be welcome again in January 2025 at the Brussels Heysel, Motor Show organizer Febiac announced on Wednesday evening. In May this year, Febiac announced that – after a year of absence – the board had decided to reorganize a motor […]
June 26, 2024
According to a new study by the environmental group Transport & Environment (T&E), 52 million people in Europe – more than 10% of Europe’s total population –are exposed to ultrafine particles (UFP) from aviation. The study, released on Tuesday by Dutch consultancy CE Delft on behalf of T&E, found that they’re affected by the 32 […]
June 26, 2024
According to a study by HR service provider Acerta, the average CO2 emissions from leasing cars have fallen by almost 20% in one year and 40% in ten years. The study analyzed a database listing more than 270,000 workers and employees in Belgium. Tax deductibility for fossil fuel cars purchased between July 1, 2023, and […]
June 25, 2024
Electra, a French startup in fast charging stations, will open and operate 23 fast charging stations over the next two years at the Belgian fast-food chain Quick’s existing and future restaurant locations. The charging stations will have a fast charging capacity of 400 kW and will be accessible to everyone at any time of the […]
June 24, 2024
That is a shame and bad for the climate because tall forests are critical for storing carbon and hosting biodiversity. Moreover, old trees absorb more carbon dioxide than young ones. This is the conclusion of the World Resources Institute (WRI), which conducts worldwide research into climate and natural resources. Over the past 20 years, the […]
June 21, 2024
Demand for fossil fuels has never been as high as in 2023. Demand for oil and coal, in particular, pushed the consumption of fossil fuels to unprecedented heights. As a result, never before have so many greenhouse gases been emitted. Last year, they increased by 2%, exceeding 40 gigatons of CO2 for the first time. […]
June 20, 2024
Anglo-Dutch energy giant Shell has inaugurated its first self-developed megawatt charger for dual use by electric trucks and shipping vessels at the Energy Transition Campus Amsterdam (ETCA) in the Netherlands. The Shell megawatt charger provides a crucial additional charging facility for local operators and facilitates end-to-end testing for high-power charging solutions across marine and road […]
June 20, 2024
Elia, the Belgian high-voltage grid operator, has awarded three contracts worth almost 1.5 billion euros to construct the High Voltage Alternating Current (HVAC) infrastructure of Princess Elisabeth Island, an artificial energy island of 3.5 gigawatts located approximately 45 kilometers off the Belgian coast. The infrastructure will bundle 2.1 gigawatts of wind energy and bring it […]
June 19, 2024
On Tuesday, the Flemish and Belgian governments signed energy agreements with Norway to bring Norwegian wind energy to Belgium and store CO2 from Belgian industry in Norway. Princess Astrid of Belgium leads a Belgian delegation to discuss energy transition, circular economy, life sciences, and design. The joint statement on energy cooperation in the North Sea […]
June 18, 2024
The Ostend-Bruges airport will soon have the largest solar park in West Flanders and the second-largest park in Belgium. The 66,200 solar panels on the site, covering a total area of about 303,864 m2, the equivalent of 61 football fields, will produce almost 37,000 MWh of annual energy – much more than the airport can […]
June 17, 2024
A new showroom for exclusive vehicles was inaugurated last weekend in the industrial zone in Heusden-Zolder, in Limburg (Belgium). Numerous models of Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Lamborghini, and Aston Martin, among others, are on display. However, they’re not real cars but electric children’s vehicles. The target group is children between three and eight years old. With […]
June 14, 2024
One year after Bpost put its thousandth electric delivery van into use, the Belgian postal company surpassed the 2,000 electric vehicle mark. This means that Bpost has doubled its fleet of environmentally friendly vehicles in just one year. These figures underline the company’s commitment to further reducing emissions and delivering CO2-free mail and parcels throughout […]
June 13, 2024
The listed group Warehouses De Pauw (WDP) plans to build a battery park in the Genk-Zuid industrial zone. The investment can amount to 50 to 80 million euros. The company aims for 2028 for commissioning. The project should help balance the power grid now that more energy is generated with solar panels and wind turbines. […]
June 13, 2024
The International Energy Agency (IEA) expects an ‘unprecedented’ oil surplus of 8 million barrels daily by 2030. According to the Agency’s latest report, oil demand worldwide will slow down, driven by the energy transition. Several aspects, including the increasing number of electric cars, better fuel efficiency in cars with combustion engines, and decreasing use of […]
June 12, 2024
Through its Energy Transition Fund, Zeevonk, a joint venture of Swedish multinational power company Vattenfall and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), has been awarded a permit to build wind farm IJmuiden Ver Beta in the Netherlands. Both major offshore wind developers – Vattenfall and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners – have a strong track record in developing, constructing, […]
June 12, 2024
Chinese Gotion High Tech, one of the ten leading global players in battery technology with sites in the USA, Japan, Germany, and Singapore, has signed an investment agreement with the Moroccan government to build North Africa’s first EV battery gigafactory. The Kenitra city project will cost 1.3 billion US dollars (12.8 dirhams). The first phase […]
June 11, 2024
Maritime contractor Jan De Nul is partnering with Australian Fortescue, a mining company and producer of green energy, to lay a 1,000 km long submarine cable between Morocco and Europe and transport renewable energy generated in North Africa to Europe. A high-voltage cable between the two continents would enable Europe to tap directly into that […]
June 10, 2024
According to the latest edition of International Energy Agency’s annual World Energy Investment report, global investment in clean energy is set to reach almost double the amount going to fossil fuels in 2024, despite pressures on financing. Total energy investment worldwide is expected to exceed $3 trillion in 2024 for the first time, with some […]
May 22, 2024
Belgium will probably not achieve the agreed European environmental targets for CO2 emissions and green energy, although there are differences per sector. The transport sector, in particular, is finding it difficult to transition away from fossil fuels. These are the conclusions of research by the Federal Planning Bureau. The European Commission imposes targets for 2030 […]
May 21, 2024
After Jan De Nul ordered the largest cable-laying vessel in the world at the end of last year, the group is now investing in an identical vessel. It shows the group’s ambition to become a major player in the market for the construction of long submarine power cables. With an actual fleet of three cable […]
May 21, 2024
Over 100 vehicles have been donated to Ukraine through London’s ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) scrappage program. Twenty of those vehicles have already arrived in the war-torn country this weekend, and another thirteen are en route. Transportation is vital for saving lives during the war. Once Londoners are accepted to the Ulez scrappage scheme and donate […]
May 21, 2024
The consortium between Ostend-based wind energy producer Elicio and renewable energy developer and solutions provider BayWa r.e. has won a tender to build the world’s first commercial floating wind farm off the coast of France. Elicio won the tender process, initiated in 2021 for an offshore floating wind project with a capacity between 230 and […]
May 17, 2024
Retail group Colruyt has launched an experiment with a self-driving tractor in Deinze (East Flanders). The vehicle will mow, spray, and transport fruit in an orchard. Self-driving tractors are already common in the US, but there is not yet a good legal framework in Europe. That’s why the experiment is organized on private property. The […]
May 16, 2024
Lantis and contractor consortium TM Roco have started the construction of the channel tunnels between the future Oosterweel junction, located on the right bank of Antwerp near the Noordkasteel, and the Antwerp Ring Road. The tunnels, which start at the America Dock and run under the Albert Canal, should be ready by 2030 and form […]
May 15, 2024
On Tuesday, the Port of Antwerp-Bruges launched the first methanol-powered tugboat, a world premier. The Methatug, as the vehicle is called, is used by the port authorities to investigate the feasibility of methanol as a more sustainable fuel for shipping. When methanol is produced from renewable sources, using biomass or renewably sourced hydrogen and carbon […]
May 10, 2024
Less than one year and a half after the first flight from Deurne (Antwerp) to London City Airport, the Luxembourg airline Luxair is canceling flights between Deurne and London starting June 3rd. Although popular, the flight schedule was criticized for insufficient frequency, hindering business and leisure travelers. The reason for the discontinuation is a lack […]
May 08, 2024
Despite prevention campaigns and an apparent increase in the number of people killed on the road in 2024, aggressive behavior, insults, and stress still prevail among European drivers. These are the conclusions of the 14th ‘Barometre de la Conduite Responsable’, a study by market research company Ipsos, published on Tuesday by the French foundation Vinci […]
May 07, 2024
Three bicycle models – the ‘Specialized Turbo Vado 3.0’, ‘Gazelle Eclipse C380 HBM’, and ‘Riese & Müller Charger4 GT Rohloff HS’ – are the winners of mobility organization VAB’s ‘Bike of the Year 2024’ election – the tenth edition. Ordinary consumers and a professional jury consisting of bicycle journalists and people from the bicycle leasing […]
May 06, 2024
CO2 emissions from major industries and aviation in Belgium fell by more than ten percent last year, the largest drop since the financial crisis. The figure is measured in CO2 equivalents, which convert the impact of all greenhouse gases together into the impact of CO2. The decrease was even more pronounced at the European level, […]
May 06, 2024
Thirty years ago, the railway tunnel under the Channel between mainland Europe and the United Kingdom was inaugurated. Construction started in December 1987. For seven years, more than 10,000 people worked on this site of the century, which was often perilous and required the invention of new technology, such as the iconic giant tunnel boring […]
May 03, 2024
Research center Imec and eXia, a spin-off of the VUB (University Brussels), have developed the ‘Active Side Guard Blind Spot Sensor’, a revolutionary warning system that should prevent blind spot accidents involving trucks. Last year, the number of fatal blind spot accidents increased by 10% to a record level of 136 casualties. For comparison, in […]
May 02, 2024
Energy ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) major democracies agreed on Tuesday to end the use of coal in power generation during the first half of the next decade. Still, they gave leeway to Germany and Japan, whose economies depend on the fuel. Germany has written into its legislation a final target to shut […]
May 02, 2024
From next year, teachers will be able to use part of their gross end-of-year bonus to lease a regular or electric bicycle. According to Flemish Minister of Education Ben Weyts (N-VA), the option is part of a series of measures to make remuneration for the teaching job more up-to-date and attractive. Among them are a […]
May 01, 2024
Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), one of the world’s largest providers of ocean cruises, has been accused of misleading advertising. The company claims its LNG-fueled ships are better against global warming than the ones on traditional shipping fuel. Still, environmentalists say that liquefied natural gas (LNG) also contributes significantly to the greenhouse effect. On Monday, April […]
April 29, 2024
Last year, 5,317 Flemish people took a fit-to-drive test at the CARA center. Almost fourteen percent of them received negative driving advice, meaning that even with car adjustments or driver license restrictions, they could no longer participate safely in traffic. CARA, a subdivision of the traffic institute Vias, is the Test Center for Fitness to […]
April 26, 2024
French Energy provider Engie plans to invest four billion euros by 2030 to accelerate Belgium’s energy transition. The company mainly wants to invest in new green energy production. It intends to expand its green energy capacity in the coming years from about 700 megawatts today to 2,000 to a maximum of 2,500 megawatts by 2030. […]
April 26, 2024
On Wednesday, during an extensive joint police and customs control in South Limburg, a motorist was intercepted with outstanding fines totaling at least 6,238,607 euros. The man – an 81-year-old Limburg advertiser – could not pay the amount, causing the police to confiscate his vehicle. Jean-Paul N. was sentenced to four years in prison in […]
April 25, 2024
Over the last five years, 45% more employees have received a bicycle allowance from their employer. Today, more than one-fifth (22,3%) of employees – 13% more than last year and even 45% more compared to five years ago – receive such compensation for cycling to work. This is evident from HR services company Acerta’s mobility […]
