Fluxys, Advario Stolthaven Antwerp (a 50:50 joint venture with Stolthaven Terminals) and Advario Gas Terminal want to ascertain the optimum open-access ammonia terminal solution for northwest Europe. They aim to have the terminal operational in 2027. Fluxys and the Advario terminals are now engaging with major industrial operators and energy suppliers to introduce their project.

The Port of Antwerp-Bruges’s shipping and multimodal connectivity will facilitate storage and onward transport for ammonia by train, truck, barge and, possibly, ammonia pipelines connected to local industrial sites, while optionally also providing facilities to convert ammonia back into hydrogen. The terminal will also connect to the Fluxys open-access hydrogen network to ensure supply throughout northwest Europe.

Ammonia is regarded as a key factor in the decarbonisation of Europe and importing it is an efficient way of bringing in large quantities of green energy and raw materials from overseas, where the abundance of solar and wind energy can be used to make hydrogen (H₂), which is then combined with air-borne nitrogen from the air to produce ammonia. Ammonia is more hydrogen-dense (cf NH3) than hydrogen and is widely tipped as a shipping fuel of the future. 

The ammonia import terminal dovetails with the partners’ plans for implementing Europe’s hydrogen strategy and the REPowerEU plan by providing decarbonisation infrastructure and effectively making Belgium a European hub for the import and export of fuels essential to the carbon-neutral economy. REPowerEU has set a target of 20 Mtpa of GH2 consumption by 2030, one fifth of which should be covered by GNH3 imports.