Sponsors
EPhyC is very proud to have the backing of some of the biggest names in our Belgian hydrogen industry. Without their financial support, organizing a conference of this magnitude would be impossible. So once again, a huge thank you to the following companies:
North Sea Port
North Sea Port is Europe’s most versatile industrial and logistics hub, located at the mouth of the River Scheldt in Northwest Europe. Its sub-areas in Vlissingen, Terneuzen, and Ghent cover some 9,100 ha, spread across the Netherlands and Belgium. As the largest hydrogen cluster in the Benelux, the port currently produces and consumes 600,000 tonnes of hydrogen each year.
To attract new and innovative players in the field of renewable energy and to achieve net zero by 2050, North Sea Port is rolling out the largest hydrogen network in Western Europe. This network will be operational in 2026 and will provide the entire port area with hydrogen connections. That same year, the North Sea Port hydrogen hub will be integrated in the Dutch and Belgian national grids, which will make the port the ideal partner for large-scale hydrogen production, consumption, import and transfer to the rest of Europe.
Virya H2
As key actor in the energy transition, ViryaH2 develops sustainable hydrogen production plants and develops hydrogen solutions to facilitate the energy transition of the end-consumer.
Virya H2 is part of the Virya Energy Group, which is active along the entire sustainable energy value chain, from generation to distribution. Other activities include wind and solar generation, mobility services and services to industries active in the sustainable transition. Virya Energy currently has over 1GW of installed green energy production capacity, mainly in wind power. Virya Energy creates scale and facilitates the exchange of knowledge amongst the entities of the group.
The company was created in 2019 as the renewable energy subsidiary of Colruyt Group and Korys (the investment company of the Belgian Colruyt family).
John Cockerill
Driven since 1817 by the entrepreneurial spirit and thirst for innovation of its founder, the John Cockerill Group develops large-scale technological solutions to meet the needs of its time: facilitating access to fossil free energies, enabling sustainable industrial production, preserving natural resources, contributing to greener mobility, enhancing security and installing critical infrastructures. Its offer to companies, States and communities consists of services and associated equipment for the sectors of energy, defense, industry, the environment, transports, and infrastructures.
With decades of experience in hydrogen technologies, John Cockerill is also a world leading electrolyzer manufacturer with a broad offering from power source to gas separation, purification and balance of plant. The company designs, builds and maintains pressurized alkaline electrolyzers of up to 6.5MW capacity stacks (1300Nm3 per hour) – among the world’s largest – and has delivered ~80 stacks of 5MW or above since 2018 including the world's two largest projects (100+ MW) in operation today.
With over 6,500 employees, John Cockerill achieved a turnover of € 1,046 billion in 2022 in 24 countries, on 5 continents.
Bekaert
Bekaert's ambition is to be the leading partner for shaping the way we live and move, and to always do this in a way that is safe, smart and sustainable.
As a global market and technology leader in material science of steel wire transformation and coating technologies, Bekaert also applies its expertise beyond steel to create new solutions with innovative materials and services driving the energy transition.
Bekaert is already a leading supplier worldwide of Porous Transport Layers for electrolyzers, under the brand name Currento©. Furthermore, a Bekaert-led consortium will accelerate the demonstration of steel reinforced flexible pipes for hydrogen transmission. Bekaert also offers multiple other solutions for the clean-energy sector, ranging from floating offshore wind turbine mooring lines to armoring solutions for subsea power cables bringing clean energy to shore, reinforcement of high pressure hydrogen refueling hoses and hydrogen burner solutions for domestic heating.
Founded in 1880, with its headquarters in Belgium, Bekaert (Euronext Brussels, BEKB) is a global company whose 27.000 employees worldwide together generated almost 7 billion euro in combined revenue in 2022.
SPECIAL SPONSOR
Bekaert sponsors all
coffee breaks
& offers a special treat
during the industry day
Agfa
Agfa is a global leading company in imaging technology and IT solutions with over 150 years of experience. It develops solutions for the healthcare sector, the printing industry, and specific industrial applications.
Agfa is committed to advancing the shift toward sustainable energy. Contributing to this are Agfa’s ZIRFON membranes to produce green hydrogen for industrial processes, energy storage, fuel, heating, or ammonia production. Green hydrogen is produced via water electrolysis, a process that uses zero-carbon electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, which are then kept separate by a membrane. Agfa’s ZIRFON membranes are the most cost-effective technology for hydrogen production. They offer exceptional productivity, 4 times higher than conventional membranes, and outstanding durability, enhancing the efficiency and reliability of electrolytic systems, while limiting maintenance.
Over 100 companies worldwide are already utilizing ZIRFON membranes for large-scale hydrogen projects. To meet the growing demand, Agfa is expanding production capabilities. A new industrial unit in Mortsel, Belgium, will be able to produce up to 20 GW/year of electrolyser capacity – enough to prevent 50 million tons of CO2 emissions.
Fluxys
Fluxys Belgium is a Euronext listed subsidiary of infrastructure group Fluxys headquartered 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.
Fluxys sponsors the industry day of the EPHyC conference and will provide our participants with a keynote on the importance of molecules vs electrons & the H2 infrastructure.
SPECIAL SPONSOR
Fluxys sponsors the industry day with a keynote speech
ABC
Anglo Belgian Corporation (ABC), founded in 1912 in Ghent, is a leading manufacturer of medium-speed internal combustion engines, with a power range from 600 kW to 10.5 MW per engine. Our innovative power generation solutions are utilized in heavy-duty applications across the globe, including shipping, locomotives, power generation, and power plants.
At ABC, research and innovation play a central role. We place significant emphasis on durability, reliability, and the simplicity of our engine designs. Our specialization focuses on developing ICE’s running on alternative fuels, with a specific focus on minimizing the CO2 footprint. Our goal is to engineer the most efficient engines that generate greater power while consuming less fuel, ultimately achieving zero emissions.
Under the name BeHydro, a joint venture with Antwerp-based company CMB.TECH, ABC markets innovative hydrogen internal combustion engines. The BeHydro engine range includes both dual fuel and 100% hydrogen engines with zero emissions in a power range from 600 kW up to 2.7 MW (3,700 hp).
SPECIAL SPONSOR
ABC is sponsoring the conference by offering site visits to their facilities on the industry day
Engie
ENGIE is a leading energy company, acting to accelerate the transition towards a carbon-neutral future and achieve climate goals.
At ENGIE Research & Innovation, we are ‘transition pathfinders’ opening and securing new paths through the complexity of technological options to unlock the innovation potential of sustainable energy. To make this happen, we combine our internal expertise with investments in startups, academic partnerships and international collaboration.
We design technological solutions that will work in new energy systems in the future. We work simultaneously on different time horizons: some technologies can already be deployed, others need to reach maturity before they can be scaled up, and others are still emerging.
We develop +40 research programs via our 4 research centers & labs, hand in hand with our +600 experts and ENGIE’s 4 global business units.
Hydrogen, biogas, solar, wind, and energy efficiency are our main playgrounds.
For sure, the energy transition will imply a massive electrification, far beyond electrical vehicles. However, we believe also molecules will be required for those processes where electricity can not do the job.
Hydrogen and its derivatives are therefore part of ENGIE’s strategic challenges with many pilots and demonstrators being deployed to de-risk these novel solutions and installations.