Stolthaven Terminals joins partnership to drive Europe’s hydrogen strategy

Fluxys, Advario Stolthaven Antwerp and Advario Gas Terminal have joined forces to study the feasibility of building an open-access green ammonia import terminal at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges.

The aim is to offer a solution to the growing demand for importing and storing green energy and raw materials as the decarbonisation drive continues across Europe.

By combining their strengths and expertise in logistics, storage and pipeline transmission, Fluxys, Advario Stolthaven Antwerp (a 50-50 joint venture with Stolthaven Terminals) and Advario Gas Terminal want to ascertain the optimum ammonia storage solution for northwest Europe.

Fluxys, an independent energy infrastructure group headquartered in Belgium, and the Advario terminals are now engaging with major industrial operators and energy suppliers to introduce their project.

Located at Belgium’s Port of Antwerp-Bruges, the future terminal – which is expected to be operational in 2027 – will deliver storage and multimodal logistics solutions for ammonia (train, truck, barge and possibly ammonia pipelines connected to local industrial sites). It will also provide facilities to convert ammonia back into hydrogen and connect to the Fluxys open-access hydrogen network to ensure supply throughout north-west Europe.

Supporting the green-energy transition in Europe

Importing ammonia is an efficient way of bringing in large quantities of green energy and raw materials from overseas, where the abundance of solar and wind energy can be used to make hydrogen, which can then be combined with nitrogen from the air to produce ammonia.

The project also aligns with the REPowerEU programme, which has set a target of 20 million tonnes of green hydrogen consumption by 2030, one fifth of which should be covered by ammonia imports.

President of Stolthaven Terminals, Guy Bessant, said: "Alongside Advario, our partner in Antwerp, Stolthaven Terminals is pleased to be involved in this project to investigate how we can improve green-energy infrastructure in north-west Europe. We look forward to working with our partners, Fluxys and Advario Gas Terminal NV. This partnership further demonstrates Stolthaven Terminals' commitment to the green-energy transition and complements the hydrogen research project we are also planning to undertake in Brazil."

Pascal De Buck, CEO Fluxys, said: “We are delighted to launch this green ammonia import terminal project with our Advario partners. Combining and leveraging our terminalling and technology expertise will enable us to fast-track the development of key solutions for importing low-carbon energy and feedstock. Fluxys aims to be a decarbonisation driving force and this project is a landmark venture in helping build the infrastructure to carry the molecules needed for a carbon-neutral society.”

Bas Verkooijen, CEO Advario, said: “Together with Stolthaven Terminals, our longstanding partner in Antwerp, we are very excited about this partnership with Fluxys. This new relationship is all about combining our strengths, know-how and experience to develop the logistics infrastructure required to accelerate the energy transition. As partners we are strongly united by our shared vision of playing a leading role in addressing climate change.”

Read the press release on the Advario website.