Gasunie subsidiary Hynetwork and Fluxys Hydrogen have signed an agreement to develop a cross-border hydrogen pipeline between the Netherlands and Belgium, according to Gasunie.
The link, targeted for completion around 2030, will rely where possible on repurposed natural gas pipelines and is positioned as a core bi-directional corridor between production and import nodes and heavy industry.
The first connection point is planned near Zandvliet, linking Zeeland with Antwerp and anchoring flows between key clusters including North Sea Port, the Port of Rotterdam, and the ports of Antwerp and Ghent.
The project is structured to form part of a wider northwest European hydrogen grid, with the initial interconnection designed to move volumes in both directions and integrate supply with demand across borders.
The agreement sets out technical and operational parameters, including routing, capacity and system specifications required for cross-border hydrogen transport.
“For a well-functioning hydrogen market in northwest Europe, cross-border trade and transport of hydrogen are essential. With this infrastructure, we enable hydrogen transport between the Netherlands and Belgium. We aim for an integrated hydrogen market. Thanks to close cooperation between Gasunie and other transmission system operators, we make cross-border transport as easy as possible so that industry in Europe can decarbonise. That is what we ultimately aim to achieve,” said Helmie Botter, director of hydrogen transport at Gasunie.
“We are already building a multimolecule infrastructure between Zelzate and the Antwerp port area. With this agreement, we jointly provide for the development of a bi-directional hydrogen transport infrastructure between Belgium and the Netherlands. We are also working on pipeline infrastructure towards other neighbouring countries to contribute to the development of a northwest European hydrogen network,” said Ben De Waele, director of Fluxys Hydrogen.
The agreement also allows for the development of additional cross-border interconnection points as the network expands.
Gasunie is a Netherlands-based state-owned gas infrastructure company responsible for the development and operation of energy transport networks, including gas transmission systems and hydrogen infrastructure through specialised subsidiaries such as Hynetwork.
Fluxys Hydrogen is a Belgium-based infrastructure entity within the Fluxys group focused on the development of hydrogen transport systems, complementing the group’s regulated gas transmission and storage activities across European markets.
