The West-Flemish steel wire specialist Bekaert is to make additional investments in Belgium in the manufacture of and research into electrolysis materials to produce hydrogen. Bekeart is doing this by setting up a new plant in Wetteren, East Flanders.

With the new plant, Bekaert will double its annual production capacity of porous transport layers or PTL, a crucial component to producing green hydrogen based on electrolysis, to over 2 GW.

Different investments in hydrogen

The new plant will manufacture metal fibers for those porous transport layers, with final production taking place in Zwevegem (West-Flanders). There, too, the PTL department will see limited expansion. The group is also investing in a hydrogen laboratory at its technology center in Deerlijk (also West-Flanders), to develop the next generation of solutions and products for green hydrogen production.

Exactly how much Bekaert is investing and how many additional jobs it is creating through the investments is not yet known.

Opportunities due to the energy transition

Bekaert, a pioneer with PTL for PEM electrolysis for over 20 years, sees opportunities arising from the current energy transition and decarbonization trends. Therefore, the company says it is now accelerating its growth strategy in renewable energy markets, especially in green hydrogen production.

Green hydrogen involves the electrolysis of water with electricity from renewable sources. In fact, several hydrogen plants are on the way in Belgium, including in Antwerp, Ghent, Ostend, and Zeebrugge.

Bekaert is also involved in Hyve, a consortium with several other Belgian hydrogen specialists conducting research to make green hydrogen production more efficient.

Bekaert operates in 45 countries and employs 28 000 people worldwide. Its aim is to reduce Green House Gas emissions by 45% by 2030 and become Carbon Net Zero by 2050. The carbon footprint of steel is 1,4 tons per produced ton of steel, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).