Belgium-based gas transmission system operator Fluxys is working on the installation of 44 kilometers of new pipelines between Desteldonk and Opwijk. The new pipelines will transport gas and, in the future, green hydrogen.

The first part of the so-called ‘hydrogen highway of the future’ has to be ready by the end of this year. The second phase between Zeebrugge and Desteldonk (55 km) will start in 2025. The first phase costs 135 million euros, or more than 3 000 euros per meter. The full-length project will cost about 300 million euros.

Climate-friendly alternative

Fluxys already has an underground natural gas pipeline between Zeebrugge and the German border. There are two pipelines on that route between Brussels and Germany. However, the section between Zeebrugge and Brussels still needs to be deduplicated – a crucial element for the gas supply of Belgium and neighboring countries. Germany, in particular, counts on the natural gas supply from Zeebrugge to replace the Russian gas.

In the future, hydrogen will be able to flow through the new Fluxys steel pipes. Green hydrogen is a climate-friendly alternative to natural gas for heavy industrial processes.

Hydrogen hub

In the long term, Fluxys wants to use its network more and more to transport hydrogen, replacing fossil natural gas. This should help to make Belgium the hydrogen hub of Europe. It’s the first time Fluxys is installing pipelines for dual use. The first hydrogen will flow through the pipeline as of 2026.

“Keeping heavy industry in Europe is not only important for job creation and prosperity but also for the climate,” said the Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo (Open Vld), during a visit to the site on Tuesday. “If production were to move to other countries with less strict standards, nothing would change in the end.”