DATS 24 opens new hydrogen station in Belgium
The opening is the third site in a series of new public facilities that the Colruyt Group will inaugurate to expand its alternative offers.
DATS 24 has opened its third public hydrogen station at the Researchpark in Haasrode, located in the city of Leuven, Belgium. The Colruyt Group’s brand for energy and fuel supply has expanded its services for customers that drive vehicles fueled by alternative energies.
The site was built with the support of EU’s H2Benelux programme coordinated by WaterstofNet and part of the Connecting Europe Facility programme, which is executed by CINEA. The aim of this initiative is to expand the current public hydrogen fueling infrastructure and fleet in the Benelux countries. The company has already installed facilities in Halle, Wilrijk and Haasrode and is planning to open three more in Erpe-Mere, Herve and Ollignies.
"This first hydrogen filling station in Leuven fits in with the pioneering role we want to play in making Leuven a climate-neutral city. It is a great example of how we as a city work together with companies and partners to realise concrete initiatives like this," said Mohamed Ridouani, Mayor of the city of Leuven.
The firm is aiming to support the energy transition in order to replace the current one with renewable energies to achieve full decarbonisation. This is why DATS 24 has set to open new stations that use hydrogen as primary fuel, which not only reduces emissions but is sustained by the production of green hydrogen through electrolysis via green electricity, which also reduces emissions to zero.
"Hydrogen will play an essential role in industry, logistics processes and in transport activities. We also sincerely believe that electric driving will become the norm. For a majority of Belgians, this will eventually be feasible. But it is important to get as many people as possible on board for the transition to emission-free driving. And hydrogen will certainly have its place in this, alongside battery-electric driving,” added Raf Flebus, Business Unit Manager of DATS 24.
