The need for cooperation in trilateral infrastructure

Finished Projects | Power-2-Integrate

VoltaChem, together with Dechema, DVGW-EBI, VITO/EnergyVille and TNO conducted a high-level study on cross-border challenges and opportunities for a key industry in the Antwerp-Rotterdam-Rhine-Ruhr (ARRRA) region: ammonia production.

Context

Northwest Europe (NWE) is a hub for heavy industry of all sectors and for marine logistics. NWE has a well-implemented electricity and natural gas infrastructure. The industry in this cluster needs to move towards a CO₂ neutral footprint, yet there are many uncertainties ahead for this transition. One of these uncertainties lies in the potential for energy infrastructure to flexibly adapt to this new future.

Objective

It is unclear what opportunities there are for using existing infrastructure during the energy transition. Therefore, different stakeholder groups are struggling in decision making processes for investment. In order to stimulate and accelerate the transition to a CO₂ neutral industry, identification of synergies for the existing infrastructure, as well as barriers preventing its cross-sector/cross-border use need to be identified. Central question of this high-level study is what cross-border challenges and opportunities can be identified for the case study ‘production of ammonia’, a key industry in the Antwerp-Rotterdam-Rhine-Ruhr (ARRRA) region.

Results

• Possible routes towards CO₂ neutrality for ammonia production in the ARRRA region analyzed and implications for individual sites assessed.
• Main finding: Cross-border infrastructure plays a pivotal role in decarbonizing industries.
• A high-level map of transport options for energy and feedstock from changing sources in 2020-2030-2050.

Core project partners

• Dechema
• DVGW-EBI 
• VITO/EnergyVille 
• TNO

Call for participation

A follow-up study is being prepared, broadening the scope from ammonia to other application areas of the chemical industry, such as methanol and ethylene. Based on the results of this, the consortium will also look into more industrial clusters. Petrochemical companies, energy suppliers, and chemical clusters in the ARRRA region are invited to participate in these follow-up studies.

Interested? Contact us!

If you would like to know more about the results from this case study, or are interested in participating in the follow-up project, please reach out to Martijn de Graaff or Monique Rijkers (contact details below). 

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