Fluxys hydrogen will manage the hydrogen network in Belgium

Fluxys hydrogen will be allowed to manage the hydrogen network in our country for the next 20 years. Without any accidents, the Council of Ministers will give the green light for this on Friday. Belgium becomes the first country in Europe to appoint an operator for this purpose.

Source: BELGA

Today at 05:52

The federal government already approved a hydrogen strategy this legislature. This text underlines the ambition to strengthen our country’s position as an import and transit hub of renewable hydrogen. Last year, parliament approved the law regulating the transport of hydrogen.

The law also provided for a hydrogen network operator (HNO) to develop a network of pipelines throughout Belgium, analogous to Elia’s electricity transmission networks and Fluxys’ natural gas transmission network. Following positive advice from the CREG and the FPS Economy, the Council of Ministers would normally appoint Fluxys hydrogen on Friday for a period of 20 years.

(Read more under the positions)

PVDA

• We lower and block electricity prices based on what it actually costs to produce electricity, not on the basis of what the energy multinationals can generate as much as possible
• With a systematic approach and large-scale public investments, we accelerate the energy transition to 100 percent renewable energy. By 2030, at least 70 percent of our electricity production must come from renewable energy
• We reject the June 2023 Engie deal, which shifts all costs for the extension of two nuclear reactors and nuclear waste to the citizen. Engie must pay for the storage of the nuclear waste itself
• We make Engie and the energy multinationals pay. We are introducing a real excess profit tax, which will skim off at least 70 percent of excess profits
• We will halve our energy consumption by 2050 with a public investment plan in renewable energy, public transport and building insulation

GREEN

• Three times more Belgian solar and wind energy and 65 percent renewable electricity by 2030
• Fully renewable energy supply by 2050
• Halve energy consumption in Belgium by 2050 with efficiency measures such as insulating houses, by electrifying as much as possible
• Make electricity a quarter cheaper by shifting all excise duties on electricity to fossil fuels
• New onshore wind projects are 50 percent owned by the local community: citizens, entrepreneurs and government

VLAAMS BELANG

• The establishment of a Flemish energy company that invests in new Flemish nuclear power stations to minimize our energy dependence on foreign countries
• The scrapping of the nuclear phase-out law
• The abolition of the mandatory installation of the digital meter
• The end of over-subsidization of solar and wind energy projects
• The capping of the social energy tariff to a certain number of kilowatt hours, taking into account family size and the type of heating, to promote efficient consumption and keep the system affordable

OPEN VLD

• Nuclear energy for the future: extend Doel 4 and Tihange 3 until 2045. Commercial exploitation of SMRs must be possible
• Installing solar panels en masse. Every roof is used to its full potential
• Large sustainable energy projects must be licensed more quickly. They should be able to rely on simplified environmental assessment.
• Removing all taxes on green energy contracts for citizens and companies and for those who share energy
• Government must be reliable: favors such as green energy certificates provided to companies are not stopped or reclaimed prematurely

CD&V

• A combination of renewable and nuclear energy to meet our electricity supply
• Lifespan extension of the Doel 4 and Tihange 3 reactors until 2045
• The nuclear phase-out law must be amended to allow for the construction of small nuclear reactors, SMRs. These must replace Doel 4 and Tihange 3 after 2045
• The potential for wind and solar energy in Flanders and the North Sea must be used as best as possible
• A reform of the social tariff for energy, based on income criteria: those who earn more receive a smaller benefit, those who earn less a greater benefit

FORWARD

• Every single person and every family should receive a basic package of free electricity
• The proliferation of electricity tariff formulas must stop. There must be a uniform energy bill, so that comparisons become possible
• The social rate must be awarded progressively. So get rid of the ‘all or nothing’ principle
• Anyone who does not have the money to install solar panels should be able to apply for consumer credit and pay it back later through the profit on the energy bill.
• Belgium, together with the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark, must build turbine parks worth 65 gigawatts by 2030

N-VA

• In the short and medium term, European policy must ensure a turnaround so that more investment is made in its own energy production and infrastructure, in all possible forms.
• The existing nuclear power plants allow us to take a step forward in the fight against climate change and in improving our air quality. That is why the existing nuclear reactors continue to operate as long as this is safe. A lifespan of eighty years or more for a nuclear power plant is not taboo
• Flanders is taking the necessary steps to build small modular nuclear reactors as quickly as possible that can be installed more flexibly on our territory and that contribute to the pursuit of emission-free energy production and lower waste production
• We continue to focus on more solar panels, energy storage and other renewable energy sources without burdening consumers with large subsidy bills in the future
• We prefer wind turbines at sea, along large-scale line infrastructure or in port and industrial areas. In short, in places where there is a lot of wind capture and relatively little nuisance and visual impact

“After the very first hydrogen law, Belgium is once again taking the lead by being the first country in the world to appoint one hydrogen network operator,” says Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten (Green). “Fluxys has many years of experience in managing the gas infrastructure, but now Fluxys Hydrogen has been tasked with planning, developing and managing the hydrogen network, an assignment that is essential for the energy transition.”

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The hydrogen network is necessary to connect the industrial clusters in our country and at the same time ensure interconnections with neighboring countries. The preparatory works for the first phase have already started, with the aim of having a total of 150 kilometers of pipeline between the industrial clusters of Ghent, Antwerp and Liège by 2026, with connections to the Netherlands and Germany. To achieve this objective, Fluxys has received a subsidy of 95 million euros in the context of the European Recovery Plan.