Jacques vandermeiren, CEO of the Port of Antwerp: “Thanks to the many front runners, Antwerp is well positioned to make the transition.”

A broad, open view of the world, cooperation across sectors, and innovation will ensure that the energy and raw materials transition goes hand in hand with economic prosperity in the Port of Antwerp.

Jacques Vandermeiren is a man of action. He is always working on new initiatives. Born and raised in Antwerp, he feels perfectly at home in his role as CEO of the Port of Antwerp. “I am always trying always to connect different stakeholders with each other by maintaining a broad perspective. Working with various parties to come up with new ideas has been a common theme throughout my career. Recently, we have been doing this more and more often here in the port to promote various crucial topics: sustainable entrepreneurship, economic growth, and a circular economy. This is how we aim to ensure that companies in the port today have every opportunity to perform well while helping shape tomorrow's energy and raw materials transition.”

For many years, the heart of the Port of Antwerp has been the chemical cluster, the largest in Europe. Billions in investments have been made here in recent years, which are essential for the energy and raw materials transition, as Jacques Vandermeiren will explain later. "Chemistry is the backbone of the port," says Vandermeiren. “Which makes it even nicer that large investments have been made or announced here recently. Companies such as INEOS, ExxonMobil, or Total have a variety of options for investment around the world. I think it's good for Europe that they are made here, and preferably of course in Antwerp! These investments will strengthen the chemical cluster for decades to come. That's good for employment, and it attracts new investments. For example, DB Cargo is considering the implementation of new rail transport. They can only do that if there is sufficient volume. Now that that volume is on the way, the plan is more likely to be realized. That means we can continue to work on the much needed modal split in Antwerp as well in order to shift more transport from road to rail and water.”

Transparent logistics

The current inefficiency of the logistics chain is a thorn in Vandermeiren's side. “Better use of data can make the logistics chain much more efficient. More transparency will enable better organization of the logistics chain. The problem is that there are many large and small players in today's logistics chain, and some of them actually benefit from logistical complexity. They will resist more transparency, but as a port authority we will continue to build open and digital platforms. And persuade all parties to share their data there.” Vandermeiren looks out of the window of the Antwerp Port House: “Now look outside at all those trucks on the Antwerp Ring Road. We know that, on average, they are only 45-50 percent full, so they mainly transport air. This has to be done differently, with less environmental impact and lower CO₂ emissions. We now have traffic jams created by people transporting wind!”

Circular economy

Improving logistics and the modal split is just one of the many initiatives that have resulted from the pooling of innovation capacity in Antwerp. Vandermeiren: “In Antwerp, players such as NxtPort, The Beacon, and PortXL are responsible for the innovations that make the energy and raw materials transition possible and increase our efficiency. The innovations they develop can result in less environmental impact, more safety - think of inspections via drones and sensors - less inefficiency, and therefore more economic prosperity. Of course, existing jobs will disappear at first because of this, but new ones will also be created. We are also going through a transition here. And what I am working very hard at in the field of sustainability is the development of the new one hundred hectare NextGen District for circular companies in the Port of Antwerp. This is a site where companies can turn waste into a useful product, for example by reusing plastic or car tires. This is where the circular economy will become truly tangible.”

Capturing and storing CO₂

Another important way to achieve the climate goals is to make today's industry more sustainable. “We took the initiative to set up the Antwerp@C consortium,” says Vandermeiren. “The partners of this consortium aim to capture, transport, and store CO₂. We want to implement this in a reasonably short period of time and at a bearable cost, thus making a significant contribution to the climate goals. The project has the potential to capture half of the CO₂ emissions in the port by 2030. We are now working on questions such as: where exactly are we going to capture them and where are we going to put them? There are various options for CO₂ storage, for example by connecting with the Rotterdam Porthos project for storage in empty North Sea gas fields. An alternative is to liquefy CO₂ and transport it via ship to empty gas fields in Norway. Ideally, these ships would then return with green hydrogen produced using offshore energy in the North Sea on their way back. That's also a possibility we're investigating.”

According to Vandermeiren, the hydrogen economy will play a major role in the energy and raw materials transition, especially after 2030. “Hydrogen will not only become an important source of energy, but also an important feedstock for the industry. There will be more demand than supply for a long time to come, so we will have to import huge quantities.”

Stable public policy

The continuous search for new energy sources and renewable raw materials is a fascinating task, according to Vandermeiren. “There's still a lot of uncertainty in this area. For example, which initiative is actually being implemented and when. But I think it's good that there are so many front runners throughout the chain who really believe in sustainability and are developing technologies. This puts Antwerp in a good position to make the transition. The question now becomes when we can really scale up new fuels and raw materials to an industrial scale and what the price will be, We therefore need the Flemish and Belgian—but especially the European—governments involved. One of the important instruments in this process is a higher price for CO₂ emissions. The question is no longer whether the energy transition is technically possible. The real question is: how high is the bill and who is going to pay it? It will probably not be easy, but the alternative—doing nothing—results in a significantly higher price. We have already seen how costly the COVID crisis is, but that is nothing compared to the larger climate crisis. That's why we need ambitious, stable, and reliable government policy.”

Chemistry is a driving force

Even though it will be expensive, and will certainly not happen by itself, the energy and raw materials transition will increasingly take shape in the Port of Antwerp. Vandermeiren: “Chemistry demonstrates its important role in this transition time and time again. The chemical companies provide the solutions we need for the energy and raw material transition. Because it is precisely these companies that can play a role in capturing CO₂, in hydrogen, and in power-to-methanol. But they can only do that if their business is going well. This is precisely why I attach so much value to the substantial investments they are currently making. Several of these companies have already indicated that they want to be CO₂ neutral in 2050. I'm impressed. And it strengthens my conviction to continue my connecting role because the strength of the Port of Antwerp is that all the parties necessary for the transition are represented here. When you manage to combine all these forces, you can start up and develop a lot of projects related to this energy and raw materials transition. If these companies continue to run well, they will be able to help shape the transition in the meantime.”

Jacques Vandermeiren

Jacques Vandermeiren (56) was born and raised in Antwerp. He studied law in Leuven and Louvain-la-Neuve. He previously worked for Electrabel and then for system operator Elia, where was the CEO. In October 2016 he became the CEO of the Port of Antwerp.

Vandermeiren is also chairman of The Shift, the Belgian meeting point for sustainable development, and a board member of Koffiehuis Vascobelo & Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, among others. “A hospitality company, an art house, and a harbor are, of course, very diverse sectors. Still, it's interesting to see what useful dynamics you can transfer from one sector to another,” explains Vandermeiren. “That's why I think you should always have a broad outlook. Now is really the time to stop keeping to ourselves in small niches; we need to form broad coalitions that are interdisciplinary and international to come up with solutions for our climate, technology, mobility, and so on. Consultation with all types of stakeholders is important. By definition, a port is a place where all kinds of interests and parties come together.” It's a great place for Vandermeiren.