The European Commission has approved a €260 million Belgian state aid package to support Kairos@C, a joint carbon capture and storage project by Air Liquide and BASF in the Port of Antwerp.
The project aims to capture carbon dioxide emissions from existing industrial facilities in the Antwerp region, including plants producing hydrogen, ammonia and ethylene oxide, and transport the captured CO2 for permanent storage in offshore geological formations in the North Sea.
According to the Commission, Kairos@C is expected to contribute to European climate objectives by creating an industrial-scale CCS value chain that integrates capture, transport and storage. Over 15 years, the initiative could avoid around 20 million tonnes of net greenhouse gas emissions.
The Belgian support will be provided through a combination of direct investment grants and performance-linked payments tied to emissions reduction milestones, with initial grants of €30 million per beneficiary and additional annual payments of up to €10 million over the next decade.
The funding complements a larger grant previously awarded through the EU Innovation Fund, which supports demonstration projects deploying innovative low-carbon technologies across Europe’s industry and energy sectors.
The EU funding for Kairos@C is part of broader efforts to decarbonise heavy industry and develop CCS infrastructure capable of operating at scale across member states.
Photo courtesy of Air Liquide