Air Liquide, Fluxys To Receive EU Funding for CO2 Export Hub at Antwerp Port

By Pierre Bertrand

Air Liquide SA on Monday said that it, Fluxys Belgium SA and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges have won European Union funding to build a carbon dioxide export hub for permanent offshore storage.

The EU's 144.6 million euros ($152.3 million) in funding from the Connecting Europe Facility for Energy program will go toward building a shared liquefaction and export terminal, including a CO2 liquefaction unit, storage and marine loading facilities at the port, the French industrial gases company said.

"The grant award is a major step towards the final investment decision, expected in 2023," the company said.

Air Liquide and Belgian natural gas transport company, Fluxys, intend to form a joint venture to build and operate the CO2 liquefaction and export terminal, Air Liquide said.

The export hub will have an initial export capacity of 2.5 million metric tons a year with the ambition to reach 10 million tons by 2030, the company said.

The project is part of a larger initiative involving BASF SE, Borealis AG, Exxon Mobil Corp., Ineos Group Holdings SA and TotalEnergies SE to halve the CO2 emissions in the Antwerp port area by 2030, Air Liquide said.

Write to Pierre Bertrand at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

12-12-22 0628ET