North Sea Port to lay pipelines connecting major Belgian ports
The Belgian-Dutch port company North Sea Port announced on Monday a collaboration with the Port of Antwerp-Bruges via Pipelink. Pipelines will be laid connecting the ports to create a network that can transport gas between the most important ports in Belgium and abroad.
Pipelines are becoming increasingly essential in the energy transition, especially in the collection and storage of CO2 or the transport of hydrogen.
North Sea Port will become a minority shareholder in Pipelink, a subsidiary of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges that develops national and international pipeline projects and already owns 750 km of pipelines in Belgium. Adding Zeebrugge and Antwerp will be a crucial addition.
"By linking the Belgian port platforms, we can avoid mutual competition and possible duplication of expensive infrastructure," said Jacques Vandermeiren, chair of the board of directors.
Thanks to the partnership, the three largest Belgian port platforms, Antwerp, Ghent and Zeebrugge, are now represented, as are the Dutch ports of Vlissingen and Terneuzen. Many energy-intensive companies, such as steel producer ArcelorMittal, are located in the Ghent port area.
ArcelorMittal has been investing in carbon collection and storage for years. In the long term, the company wants to use CO2 as a raw material for various applications, which requires a national pipeline network. Pipelink is currently building one.
Fluxys, Pipelink, Socofe and FPIM have also joined forces to transport CO2 across national borders.
#FlandersNewsService | © PHOTO IMAGO
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