125 million euros from the Vlaamse Veerkracht recovery plan will go to research and innovation on hydrogen, says Minister of Economy Hilde Crevits.
Hydrogen is used for storing, converting and transporting energy. In the best case, it is produced with green electricity.
In Flanders, however, almost all hydrogen is currently produced as 'gray hydrogen', using fossil fuels which release CO2. The production of green hydrogen is three to five times more expensive.
The investment that Flanders is making should help to lower the cost of making more environmentally friendly hydrogen. This can be blue hydrogen, which is also made from fossil fuels involving the collection of the released CO2.