New pipeline must also transport hydrogen through Zeebrugge

With a stronger network, Belgium wants to profile itself as a hub for the distribution of natural gas and hydrogen. The steel that Fluxys uses today for the pipeline between Desteldonk and Opwijk is therefore thicker than with traditional natural gas pipelines, which makes it particularly suitable for transporting hydrogen under high pressure. The intention is that Fluxys can switch depending on the needs of the market: natural gas or hydrogen. It is expected that the importance of the latter will continue to increase. After all, the market is changing rapidly, according to the gas carrier.

Additional capacity

The new line will be next to an existing line. By deduplicating the pipeline, extra capacity will be added to transport all that gas that arrives in Zeebrugge: no less than 15 gigawatt hours extra, or the equivalent of the energy production of fifteen nuclear power plants.