Made in Belgium: hydrogen technology champions
Belgium has all assets to play a major role in the production technology. We host worldwide leading electrolyser manufacturers. We are also world leaders in producing state of the art and innovative components to make these electrolysers more efficient, cost effective and durable. Membranes, bipolar plates, catalysts, porous transport layers – all crucial components of an electrolyser – are already being researched, developed and manufactured in Belgium and significant scaling up of the production capacities is currently being implemented.
Belgium has a tradition of several decades when it comes to combustion engines on hydrogen. Started at universities, now major industrial companies are accelerating developments on using hydrogen in combustion engines. These companies are now applying this technology in trucks, tugs, excavators and others appliances. Buses, garbage trucks, trucks, fuelled by hydrogen are being manufactured in Belgium and deployed in other European countries for years. To support the rollout of the hydrogen transport economy, our country already counts five operational public hydrogen refuelling stations, with two more in the pipeline.
Our knowledge institutes are also firmly committed to hydrogen with R&D activities, covering the whole value chain with research, development and techno-economic analysis. This includes a vast variety of advanced materials analysis and research throughout the entire hydrogen value chain of applications (including a.o. innovation and testing on pipelines and high pressure storage). New concepts are being developed e.g. for direct hydrogen production out of sun. On the other hand, new processes are investigated for implementing hydrogen in industries such as steel, chemicals and cement. Serving the transport sector, a lot of R&D is being done on e.g. engines on hydrogen and a drive-train for using hydrogen in heavy-duty mobility. And the portfolio is still growing while the hydrogen economy develops.
Belgium has a lot to offer when it comes to hydrogen, despite its territory of only 30.528 km2. It has an extensive hydrogen and ammonia ecosystem, building on its ports, pipelines, import infrastructure and large industrial users, over several hydrogen technology champions supplemented with a strong hydrogen research base. Additionally, several Belgian companies are using their expertise for developing large scale hydrogen import value chains internationally.
Our company directory gives you an easy overview of all Belgian companies that are already working on hydrogen today or that have concrete plans to do so tomorrow.