Air Liquide has been awarded a €110 million grant from the European Innovation Fund to support its ENHANCE project in the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Belgium. The project aims to produce and distribute low-carbon, renewable hydrogen from ammonia, advancing Europe’s transition to a low-carbon economy. ENHANCE is the first European industrial-scale initiative to use ammonia as a hydrogen production and distribution feedstock.
Also read: TotalEnergies and Air Liquide Partner to Boost Renewable Hydrogen Production at La Mède Biorefinery
The ENHANCE project will build a large-scale ammonia cracking plant to produce hydrogen from renewable ammonia, replacing natural gas. Air Liquide will enhance the plant with a hydrogen liquefier, facilitating efficient storage and transport. Additionally, Air Liquide plans to retrofit a hydrogen unit at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, using renewable ammonia for industrial decarbonization.
The project seeks to cut CO2 emissions by over 300,000 tons per year by substituting ammonia for natural gas. It will create a low-carbon hydrogen supply chain across Europe, benefiting industries like refineries, chemicals, transport, shipping, and aviation. Air Liquide’s initiative supports Europe’s broader goal of decarbonizing hard-to-electrify sectors.
Leveraging Air Liquide’s ammonia cracking pilot at Antwerp, the ENHANCE project will scale technology to boost the global hydrogen market. By integrating ammonia cracking and hydrogen liquefaction technologies, the project will help accelerate the hydrogen economy, making low-carbon hydrogen more accessible while supporting global decarbonization efforts.
Also read: Air Liquide to deploy the world’s largest CO2 liquefaction unit in Stockholm BECCS Project
European Commission’s Support for the Energy Transition
Armelle Levieux, a member of Air Liquide’s Executive Committee, “The combination of ammonia cracking and hydrogen liquefaction technologies offers an additional solution to support the growth of the global hydrogen market. We welcome the support from the European Commission for our ENHANCE project, which contributes to the emergence of a viable infrastructure for the supply of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen in Europe.”
She added, “In line with our ADVANCE strategic plan, this project supports Air Liquide’s commitment to the energy transition, with low-carbon hydrogen playing a key role for the decarbonization of the industry and mobility. ENHANCE supports European ambitions towards carbon neutrality.”
Regions with abundant renewable energy, such as solar, wind, and hydropower, can produce ammonia with a low-carbon footprint. The established ammonia production, transport, and usage infrastructure offers a solid foundation for integrating ammonia into the hydrogen supply chain.
