Flemish competence centers unite their efforts with industry to advance the production of green hydrogen

The Flemish research centers imec and VITO (partner in EnergyVille), together with industry pioneers Bekaert, Colruyt Group, DEME, and John Cockerill, announced today that they are joining forces to invest in green hydrogen production. Under the banner of Hyve, the consortium aims for cost-effective and sustainable hydrogen production at gigawatt scale. Hyve will position the Flemish region as a leader in the introduction of a hydrogen economy and the transition to a carbon-neutral industry in Europe.

The EU's commitment to achieving climate neutrality by 2050, as part of the European Green Deal, can only be realized if we drastically overhaul our energy system. Within the Green Deal, hydrogen technology is regarded as essential for the energy transition toward a climate-neutral society. Particularly in the chemical industry, steel and cement industries, and heavy-duty transport, green hydrogen is seen as a key to decarbonization. Currently, the chemical industry relies on gray hydrogen, produced via steam methane reforming. Unfortunately, this process releases large amounts of CO2. Green hydrogen, on the other hand, is produced by electrolyzing water using renewable energy. To make green hydrogen competitive, the price of green electricity should continue to fall, electrolyzers should become more cost-efficient, and economies of scale should help reduce production costs.

The Hyve consortium brings together actors from the entire value chain to achieve this ambitious goal. It combines expertise in developing new components for electrolysis with material suppliers, industrial companies that will integrate these new components into their electrolyzers, and companies that will utilize this innovative infrastructure to produce green hydrogen.

The Flemish research centers imec and VITO will leverage their knowledge to improve the efficiency of electrolysis technology. Imec's expertise in solid-state electrolytes, electrode surfaces, and nanotechnology process technology will be combined with VITO's expertise in membranes, catalysis, and system integration. Bekaert, a provider of metallic porous transport layers for electrolysis, will supply the relevant materials. John Cockerill, a global leader in the manufacturing of alkaline electrolyzers, will incorporate the results into its production. DEME, a worldwide leader in dredging and offshore energy services, plans to use the novel electrolyzers to convert wind and solar energy into green hydrogen and derived green products ('e-fuels'). Through the 'Hyport®' concept, DEME aims to import affordable green hydrogen products into Europe, supplementing local European production. The trading group Colruyt Group will support research applications for sustainable transport. Colruyt Group already operates a hydrogen refueling station, tests hydrogen-powered forklifts, and the first heavy-duty trucks, works with Virya Energy on a green hydrogen plant in Zeebrugge, and researches e-fuels through Dats24.

"Colruyt Group has been producing its own green hydrogen for about ten years. Three years ago, we opened Europe's first fully integrated public hydrogen refueling station. In the coming months, four more public hydrogen stations will be equipped. Recently, our group put the first hydrogen-powered 44-ton electric heavy-duty truck on European roads. We strongly believe in hydrogen technology as a promising zero-emission solution for transport and logistics and are committed to investing in innovative hydrogen applications. We are convinced that, together with our partners, we can make significant progress toward a more sustainable mobility and energy supply through strategic cooperation in developing a new, promising hydrogen electrolysis component," says Jef Colruyt, CEO of Colruyt Group.

"In line with its vision to offer solutions for a sustainable future, DEME is proud to participate in Hyve, a project in which partners along the value chain jointly develop a novel green hydrogen technology. This initiative complements and enhances DEME's ongoing efforts to address global challenges such as reducing CO2 emissions and is fully aligned with the company's strategic goals," says Luc Vandenbulcke, CEO of DEME Group.

"Bekaert is committed to creating green and sustainable solutions. We look forward to working closely with the consortium partners and developing the building blocks for this future electrolysis technology, in line with our 'better together' philosophy. We strive to deliver long-term value to all our stakeholders and to foster sustainable business partnerships, just like those of this consortium," says Oswald Schmid, CEO of Bekaert.

"John Cockerill is very pleased to collaborate on this innovative project with renowned research centers and major Belgian industrial companies. Thanks to our position as a world leader in manufacturing high-performance electrolyzers and our expertise in hydrogen, we can leverage our know-how to improve performance and make this project an innovative and exemplary success in decarbonizing industry," says Jean-Luc Maurange, CEO of the John Cockerill Group.

"Sustainable development is in VITO's DNA. We adopt a systemic approach that considers the entire technical-economic value chain. This is the best way to address the complex challenges of the energy transition. We do this together with our EnergyVille partners, with a focus on industrial applicability. Hyve is a prime example of such collaboration and represents an important step for green hydrogen research in Flanders," says Dirk Fransaer, Managing Director of VITO.

"As a globally renowned research center for nanoelectronics and digital technology, we believe that technology is a key to realizing a sustainable society, and we are committed to using our expertise to enable this. Our 'Power-to-Molecules' program, which explores how CO2 can be converted into valuable molecules for industry, paves the way toward a carbon-neutral society," says Luc Van den hove, CEO of imec. "Within Hyve, imec and VITO are pooling their knowledge and applying it to an ambitious, large-scale innovation project to make Flanders a leader in green hydrogen."