Fluxys Belgium and National Gas join forces on large-scale decarbonisation and explore new cross-border links

Today, celebrating 25 years of operation of the gas Interconnector between the UK and Belgium at the UK embassy in Brussels in the presence of UK Energy Minister Andrew Bowie and Belgian Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten, the British and Belgian gas infrastructure partners National Gas and Fluxys Belgium signed a Memorandum of Understanding to step up their cooperation on decarbonisation infrastructure, harnessing North Sea energy resources such as offshore wind and hydrogen production, and supporting carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS).

The Memorandum of Understanding between National Gas and Fluxys helps to put flesh on the bones of April’s Ostend declaration at the North Sea Summit between transmission system operators from north-west European countries. National Gas and Fluxys Belgium have already worked in harness to secure energy resilience via the gas Interconnector between Bacton and Zeebrugge, which is marking 25 years of operation during an event at the UK Embassy in Brussels today.

Looking to the future, Fluxys Belgium is developing large-scale hydrogen and CO₂ corridors for transport in and through Belgium. Meanwhile in Great Britain, National Gas has initiated Project Union to connect hydrogen production sources to end users across power and industrial sectors, and Scottish Cluster, a collection of industrial carbon capture and CO₂ transportation and storage infrastructure projects.

In accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding, Fluxys Belgium and National Gas will explore the benefits of a hydrogen link between their respective infrastructures, unlocking North Sea hydrogen for mainland Europe.

Based on their existing strong relationship and sharing the same strategy to play a key role in decarbonisation of industry and society, both partners will combine their complementarities, expertise, and common vision to develop large-scale, long-distance hydrogen transport. They will also explore the possibility to extend their collaboration to CCU (carbon capture and utilisation) and CCS (carbon capture and storage).

UK Energy Minister Andrew Bowie said: “Today the UK cemented its position as a world-leader in green hydrogen production, backing new projects from the South-West of England to the Scottish Highlands. This agreement between the British and Belgian gas transmission networks will provide the essential infrastructure for transporting hydrogen and build on 25 years of collaboration to bolster the UK and Europe’s energy security for the coming decades.”

Belgian Minister for Energy Tinne Van der Straeten said: “Today we celebrate a significant milestone in the Belgian-UK relations. A silver jubilee marking 25 years of collaboration through the Interconnector and a 5-year celebration for Nemo Link, the first submarine power cable between our two countries. It is a reflection on the past but also a testament to the forward-looking cooperation that will shape the next chapters of our energy ties. And the future looks promising. A second hybrid interconnection, Nautilus, will connect our two countries' power grids and connect offshore wind farms directly to the mainland. Also, on hydrogen we advance cooperation. Today’s agreement between Fluxys Belgium and National Gas marks a significant stride forward in crucial hydrogen and CO₂ infrastructure. It fosters a collaborative synergy that transcends national borders and integrates the unique strengths of the UK and Belgium.”

Jon Butterworth, CEO of National Gas, said: “For the critical UK businesses that we serve, this agreement with Fluxys will help to secure their future and fuel growth and innovation. We have all the components of a world-leading hydrogen industry, and through Project Union we have the capability to connect hydrogen production and storage with end users through a hydrogen network of up to 2,000km - equivalent to 25% of Britain’s current methane transmission network.”

Pascal De Buck, CEO and Managing Director of Fluxys Belgium, said: “Multiple strong partnerships are essential in our focus area of developing open-access infrastructure. We see an array of opportunities in pushing up our cooperation with National Gas for the development of infrastructure to further connect both markets in a decarbonised world, creating a hydrogen link between our systems and possibly other options for achieving large-scale decarbonisation.”

About Fluxys Belgium

Fluxys Belgium is a Euronext listed subsidiary of infrastructure group Fluxys headquarted in Belgium. With 900 employees the company operates 4,000 kilometers of pipeline, a liquefied natural gas terminal totalling a yearly regasification capacity of 104 TWh and an underground storage facility.

As a purpose-led company, Fluxys Belgium together with its stakeholders contributes to a better society by shaping a bright energy future. Building on the unique assets of its infrastructure and its commercial and technical expertise, Fluxys Belgium is committed to transporting hydrogen, biomethane or any other carbon-neutral energy carrier as well as CO₂, accommodating the capture, usage and storage of the latter.

Press team Fluxys: +32 471 95 00 24 • press@fluxys.com

www.fluxys.com

About National Gas

National Gas comprises three businesses, National Gas Transmission, National Gas Metering and National Gas Services.

As both the UK transmission owner and system operator, National Gas owns, builds and operates the high-pressure NTS with day-to-day responsibility for balancing supply and demand in real time and facilitates the connection of assets to the transmission system. The NTS comprises approximately 7,600 kilometres of high-pressure pipe and 23 compressor stations connecting to 8 distribution networks and other third-party independent systems.

Project Union is a project led by National Gas Transmission to create a UK hydrogen backbone, transporting 100% hydrogen, connecting hydrogen production and storage with end users. Through the phased repurposing of existing high pressure gas transmission network infrastructure, the backbone will comprise 1,500 to 2,000km of repurposed assets. Where necessary this will be supplemented with new infrastructure by the early 2030s.

Press team National Gas: Andrew Marsh +44 7966 180 881 • ng@strandpartners.com

For more information about the company, please visit www.nationalgas.com