Belgium: Flanders to triple number of hydrogen filling stations by 2020

The roll-out of hydrogen fueling stations (HRS) will go hand in hand with the roll-out of hydrogen vehicles.

More hydrogen fueling stations will be installed in Flanders Region. Although at present there are only two of this kind – one in Zaventem (Air Liquide) and another one in Halle (Colruyt) – the Flemish Ministry of Energy is expecting to triple this number within the next couple of years.

“The new hydrogen stations are being prepared within the European projects H2 Benelux and Hydrogen Region 2.0," said Flemish Minister for Energy, Lydia Peeters.

According to the Ministry, the rollout of HRS will depend on the roll-out of hydrogen vehicles, which can benefit from tax exemption in Flanders.

The Flemish region also supports the roll-out of HRS through a so-called Ecology Premium+ incentive. In addition, operators can also apply for a subsidy that finances up to 20% of the investment costs through the European project BENEFIC.

However, no Flemish hydrogen projects were submitted in the last two calls for applications.

23 hydrogen vehicles in Belgium

Last year there were only 23 vehicles powered by hydrogen in Belgium, reports The Brussels Times. In 2018, overall there were about 43,000 'green vehicles' registered in Flanders – 25,376 hybrids, 9,644 CNG cars and 7,911 electric vehicles.