Posted on August 19, 2026
The cancelled investment of €400 million, which was announced with much fanfare four years ago, is a significant setback for the port. For the Americans, the project is not economically viable. There are too many uncertainties about how the hydrogen market will develop in the coming years.
What will happen to the land where the plant was to be built is unclear. “The future of the concession is currently part of the dialogue with Plug,” the port authority stated. Plug Power holds a thirty-year concession on the port site.
“We are taking a realistic view of the hydrogen market,” the port authority responded on Tuesday. “For Belgium, large-scale local production of green hydrogen is economically and technically challenging, partly due to the limited availability of sustainable electricity. Therefore, importing hydrogen and hydrogen carriers remains a logical option.” For example, Fluxys is still developing a hydrogen network connecting the ports of Antwerp and Ghent (North Sea Port).
Small-scale local production of hydrogen could still be feasible “through small to medium-sized projects that respond to specific market demand,” it states. However, the port authority must now recognise that the market remains very cautious and that investors require certain conditions. This is a notable difference from the almost blind faith in hydrogen — even among politicians — a few years ago.
According to the port authority, future demand for hydrogen will mainly develop in sectors where electrification is difficult: including shipping, aviation, refining, and industrial processes. “We continue to focus on our role as an energy and industrial hub, where sustainable molecules can be introduced, distributed, processed, and utilised.”
