CO₂, much more than a greenhouse gas

We are in the midst of an energy transition. How we produce and use energy will soon look completely different. Our relationship with the greenhouse gases released during the production process is also changing. Through our extensive network of pipelines, we enable the transport, storage and reuse of captured CO₂.

By 2026 we want to offer initial capacity for transporting CO₂. This is how we are helping implement our commitment to building a climate-neutral economy and society.

What is CO₂?

CO₂, the chemical formula for carbon dioxide, must be the most talked about chemical compound of our time. The excessive quantity of this greenhouse gas in our atmosphere is causing the earth to heat up. And yet CO₂ is vital, for without it the earth would be unbearably cold. You could call it our planet's thermostat.

Why the Atomium to represent the CO₂ molecule?

The properties of CO₂ 

Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide trap the radiant heat from the sun, which is why we tend to view CO₂ as a culprit in global warming. We associate it with fossil fuels and factories. While that's correct, it's not the full picture.   

Long before humans started walking upright, CO₂ was already floating around in our atmosphere. Without this greenhouse gas, fauna and flora – and therefore humans – could not thrive here. Plants, trees and algae need it to grow. They take in CO₂ and convert it into oxygen (O₂). This process is what created such a pleasant climate, with an atmosphere that is nicely balanced. Unfortunately things are different today. 
 

Too much CO₂ in our atmosphere 

Although greenhouse gases such as CO₂ account for only 0.04% of our atmosphere, they have an enormous impact on the global climate. Starting with the industrial revolution, we have been using massive quantities of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas.  

That brought us enormous prosperity, but it also drove and continues to drive huge amounts of CO₂ into the atmosphere. Today there is 51% more CO₂ in our atmosphere than prior to the industrial revolution. In other words, we're pushing the Earth's thermostat higher and higher. Hence the urgent need for an energy transition that will enable us to drastically reduce CO₂ emissions. 

Companies are making enormous efforts to reduce their CO₂ emissions. The energy transition is moving forward at top speed, but some processes cannot be adjusted so quickly. Fortunately, there is also a solution for this: CO₂ capture, storage and, where possible, even reuse. 

Towards climate-neutral industry 

40% of CO₂ emissions in Belgium comes from our industrial  sector, which is why companies are launching all kinds of initiatives and process innovations to reduce their CO₂ emissions.   

These efforts include insulating buildings, upgrading machinery and equipment, optimising production processes and so on.  

Installations and processes are being electrified. For heavy industrial processes, where there is not enough electricity, hydrogen is a good alternative. And any CO₂ that companies still emit can be captured and transported to sites for storage or reuse via our extensive network of pipelines.

CO₂ emissions are increasingly expensive

Under the European Commission’s Fit For 55 plan, all 27 Member States are striving to reduce CO₂ emissions by 55% by 2030. The ultimate goal is to achieve a CO₂-neutral society by 2050. To achieve that goal, the European Union operates an Emissions Trading System for CO₂.

For every tonne of CO₂ that a company emits, it must buy one emission allowance. The number of emission allowances decreases every year, making it more and more expensive to pollute. For industrial companies, the emission allowances bill can amount to billions of euros per year. The result is that captured CO₂ not only pursues an environmental goal, but is also financially encouraged.

About energy transition

CCS: storing CO₂ as a residual product 

Since it is not possible to reuse all captured CO₂, we store it, for example in empty gas fields. This is called carbon capture and storage, or CCS. These underground sites are naturally sealed and airtight, so the CO₂ is safely stored. Capturing and storing CO₂ is needed for a climate-neutral economy. 

 

Underground CO₂ storage is a safe technology, as evidenced by more than 20 years of successful offshore storage in Norway, and more recent projects in Canada and the United States. Norway's Equinor and its partners have, since 1996, been storing about one million tonnes of CO₂ per year in the North Sea – in the Utsira formation in the Sleipner field. 

In the European Union, an EU directive calls for efforts to be made to identify suitable storage sites and ensure their safe operation.

CCU: Reusing CO₂ as a raw material 

For certain industries, captured CO₂ is a valuable resource. This is called carbon capture and utilisation, or CCU. In agriculture and horticulture, CO₂ is (re)used to make crops grow faster while energy producers use liquid CO₂ as a coolant. The possibilities are only growing. Who knows, ships may soon be powered by methanol from captured CO₂. Or plasma reactors might split the molecule back into carbon and oxygen. To be continued!

How do we use our CO₂ infrastructure to help companies reduce their emissions?

CO₂ emissions must drop drastically. In addition to investing in renewable electricity from solar and wind power, industry is looking at the potential of hydrogen and CO₂ capture. To make these developments possible, we at Fluxys are working hard to future-proof our network of pipelines.

Our ambition can be expressed in three numbers: 30x30x30. By 2030, we want to offer enough capacity to transport 30 million tonnes of CO₂, the equivalent of removing 13 million cars from the road. By way of comparison, there are 5.9 million passenger cars on the road in Belgium. By 2030, we also want to offer companies the capacity to transport 30 TWh of hydrogen, an amount of energy that represents more than one third of total electricity consumption in Belgium.

What we do

A genuine underground movement 

We are engaging with industry to adapt our existing infrastructure in a timely manner and to build new pipelines where necessary. To enable and accelerate companies' energy transition, we aim to develop hydrogen and CO₂ pipelines for and between industry in Flanders and Wallonia. 

Today, we already have a highly meshed network of natural gas pipelines. This is evolving into a network that will also transport CO₂ and hydrogen, which is how we will make Belgium an import and transit country in Europe for molecules such as CO₂ and hydrogen. Our terminals in Zeebrugge, Ghent and Antwerp will play a key role in achieving this ambition of becoming an import hub for hydrogen and an export point for CO₂.

Our CO₂ infrastructure projects

We are working on all kinds of initiatives and collaborations to develop our CO₂ infrastructure. We are building new pipelines underground (onshore) and under the sea (offshore) and building terminals that temporarily store CO₂ and load it onto ships for transport to permanent storage sites. We are also investing in projects to enable the reuse of CO₂.

Our projects

Subsea pipeline for large-scale decarbonisation

The energy transition, one of the greatest challenges facing humanity, requires united forces. We can't do it alone. For example, we are working with Norwegian energy company Equinor on a 1,000 km subsea pipeline between Zeebrugge and Norway. The CO₂ is compressed at our terminal in Zeebrugge. We transport captured CO₂ via the new pipeline from Belgium and neighbouring countries to Norway, where the CO₂ is stored in underground aquifers or empty gas fields beneath the North Sea bed.

In 2025, we will begin operations to transport and store, by 2030, some 20 million to 40 million tonnes of CO₂ per year. Those 40 million tonnes of CO₂ are equal to the total emissions of Belgian industry. By combining our knowledge and experience we are taking another step towards meeting climate targets as a Belgian industry.

More information

CO₂ hubs in Antwerp and Ghent

At the ports of Antwerp and Ghent, we are building facilities that liquefy CO₂, store it in buffer storage sites and export it by ship for storage in depleted gas fields deeper under the sea. 

We are involved in a partnership with French company Air Liquide and Port of Antwerp-Bruges for the Antwerp@C CO₂ Export Hub in Antwerp. Together we are building one of the world’s first and largest CO₂ export facilities, with a capacity of 10 million tonnes of CO₂ per year. 

Ghent will be home to Ghent Carbon Hub, in collaboration with North Sea Port and steel producer ArcelorMittal. Ghent Carbon Hub will have the capacity to process 6 million tonnes of CO₂ per year, corresponding to about 15% of total industrial CO₂ emissions in Belgium. 

More about Antwerp@C

More about Ghent Carbon Hub

CO₂-negative building blocks  

In addition to projects for the storage of CO₂ (CCS) we are taking part in an initiative where we reuse CO₂ (CCU). Belgian concrete company Orbix has developed a technology for making building blocks that contain no cement, but instead a combination of waste from the steel industry and CO₂. We are working on this. 

co₂ncreat is a project in collaboration with Orbix, Lhoist and Prefer. Lime producer Lhoist captures CO₂, which Fluxys transports to the plant operated by construction company Prefer. Prefer uses Orbix technology to make environmentally friendly building blocks, which means that Lhoist does not have to purchase increasingly expensive emission allowances. The use of CO₂ in the production of building blocks is also avoided because no cement is needed. A win-win.

More information

What is the decarbonisation potential for my business? 

You and your company want to emit less, but how do you start? What steps should you take? Our experts will be happy to advise you on the challenges that the energy transition entails. Let's put our heads together and we’ll then incorporate your answers into our plans and refine our infrastructure map.

Express your interest in our CO₂ services

We are curious about your company's needs and any question you might have, because the more insight we have into market demand, the better we can gear our infrastructure and services to it. Express your interest. That's how we ensure that companies can easily connect to our CO₂ network.

Yes, please 

I would like to sign a contract

Have you filled in the questionnaire? If so, we will work out an accurate infrastructure proposal for your region. It will then be up to you to express your interest in that proposal.

What we have to offer 

I want to know more about Fluxys' CO₂ infrastructure projects

We are working on many initiatives and collaborations for transporting CO₂ for storage or reuse.

Feel free to take a look at our latest developments.

Our projects