A group of new shareholders has reached an agreement today with global investment group CDPQ to acquire its 19.85% participation in Fluxys. The new shareholders are Energy Infrastructure Partners, the leading Switzerland-based infrastructure investor focused on the global energy transition, and a consortium of Belgian institutional investors. The transfer is expected to be completed by the end of 2022.
Infrastructure partner Fluxys Belgium started today, in the presence of Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Federal Minister of Energy Tinne Van der Straeten, the construction of the first dual-purpose pipeline. Initially this pipeline between Zeebrugge and Brussels will greatly increase the capacity for the security of supply of Belgium and neighbouring countries. In addition, this pipeline is ready for use to transport hydrogen. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten visited the site in Lokeren (East Flanders) today, where pipes with a diameter of 1 metre are pushed under the road surface.
Within the spirit of partnerships and cross-border cooperation for CO₂ transport, Fluxys Belgium and Wintershall Dea signed a cooperation agreement. This agreement is one of the many steps to accelerate the green transition and to contribute towards a sustainable low carbon industry.
Regional cluster organizations WaterstofNet and Cluster Tweed today launched the Belgian Hydrogen Council (BHC) to consolidate and strengthen Belgium’s position in Europe and on the global stage as a pioneering hub of excellence for clean hydrogen. The eight CEOs who make up the Board of the Council met for the first time today in Brussels.
Today, infrastructure partner Fluxys Belgium welcomed the EU Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, at the construction site of its first dual-purpose pipeline. Initially, the pipeline between Zeebrugge and Brussels will substantially increase the capacity for the security of supply of Belgium and neighbouring countries. In addition, this pipeline is ready for use to transport hydrogen.
In the context of the State Visit of Their Majesties the King and the Queen of the Belgians to Germany, the CEO’s of Fluxys, OGE and Wintershall Dea have signed a cooperation agreement for CO₂ transport. The three companies plan to build a cross-border pipeline to transport carbon dioxide with the objective to support the further decarbonisation of otherwise “hard to abate” industries in Germany.
Today, celebrating the 25 years of operation of the gas Interconnector between the UK and Belgium at the UK embassy in Brussels, the British and Belgian gas infrastructure partners National Gas and Fluxys Belgium signed a Memorandum of Understanding to step up their cooperation on decarbonisation infrastructure, harnessing North Sea energy resources such as offshore wind and hydrogen production, and supporting carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS).
Infrastructure partner Fluxys Belgium today unveiled its BE-HyStore pilot project to store hydrogen in the underground in Loenhout, at an event attended by Federal Minister of the Economy and Employment Pierre-Yves Dermagne and Federal Minister of Energy Tinne Van der Straeten. With 40 years of expertise in underground natural gas storage, Fluxys is now testing the possibilities of storing hydrogen in an underground aquifer.
TAP shareholders Fluxys and Enagás have jointly agreed to purchase co-shareholder Axpo’s 5% stake in the pipeline. Fluxys will acquire 1% and Spain’s Enagás 4% of Axpo’s stake. Both companies will thus become 20% partner in TAP like the other shareholders Snam (Italy), bp (UK) and SOCAR (Azerbaijan).
Increasing security of supply: DNV sees potential 300 TWh/a of green hydrogen
Today’s additional proposals invite industrial parties to express their interest to connect into open access infrastructure for hydrogen in Liège & Mons and for CO2 in Antwerp & Ghent.
The question of which price index to choose for a natural gas contract is set to get simpler. From 1 October 2023, a single index, ZTP, will be used for the Belgian reference price. The ZTP index was on average 14% lower than the Dutch TTF index in 2022 thanks to the Belgian grid's good connections to all sources for the Northwest European market.
Fluxys Belgium, Pipelink, Socofe and SFPIM join forces in “Fluxys c-grid” to create a CO₂ network operator. This newly created organisation underlines our common ambition to support industries in their transition efforts to a low carbon future. At the same time, it shows our readiness for both the upcoming legal and regulatory frameworks for CO₂ transport activities. Fluxys c-grid ensures a long-term approach combining a regional focus with a broad internationally interconnected network.
Qatar Petroleum subsidiary Qatar Terminal Limited (QTL) and Fluxys Belgium subsidiary Fluxys LNG today signed a long-term LNG Services Agreement for the Zeebrugge LNG terminal. Under the agreement, QTL subscribes unloading slots at the facility from the expiry of the current long-term unloading contracts and up to 2044.
The Zeebrugge LNG terminal loaded the Yenisei River vessel with LNG from the newly commissioned LNG storage tank in late December. The loading operation marked the start of the long-term contract for transshipments concluded in 2015 with Yamal Trade.
Under Fluxys Belgium's tariff proposal for 2020-2023, as approved by CREG on 7 May 2019, transmission tariffs will be corrected in the event that the development of the regulatory account deviates from its planned trajectory.
With abundant wind and solar resources enabling competitive renewable hydrogen production, Oman has the ambition to become a world leading renewable hydrogen hub. Following an invitation to become an anchor investor in the coming IPO process on the Muscat stock exchange, Fluxys has committed to acquire a 4.9% stake in OQGN, the state-owned transmission system operator. The partnership is further strengthened by a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Fluxys and OQGN to explore areas of strategic cooperation in the development of Oman’s hydrogen and CO2 infrastructure.
Infrastructure group Fluxys and its subsidiary Fluxys LNG are gauging the market's interest in importing low-carbon molecules from the terminal at Zeebrugge. With this market initiative, Fluxys is anticipating the need for large-scale decarbonisation.
Fluxys has agreed to acquire from Macquarie Asset Management its c. 24% stake in Open Grid Europe (“OGE”), the largest transmission system operator in Germany. The acquisition fits perfectly with Fluxys’ strategy to be the essential infrastructure partner for speeding up the energy transition.