Streamlining Cross-Border Authorization Procedures

The MoU’s central objective is to clarify and simplify authorization procedures between the two jurisdictions. By harmonizing their respective regulatory frameworks, the two countries aim to reduce the uncertainties slowing the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects. The initiative is designed to give investors the confidence to commit to large-scale infrastructure. It fits within a broader European industrial decarbonization landscape increasingly reliant on cross-border solutions, such as the creation of FABEM by Idex and Alteo to decarbonize the Benelux by 2030.

Both governments argue that shorter implementation timelines and greater regulatory clarity are prerequisites for the financial viability of CCS projects. The agreement also guarantees full compliance with applicable national and international regulations. The North Sea, whose subsurface offers geological storage capacity, is the natural geographic focus of these cross-border exchanges.

Fluxys c-grid, Belgium’s Designated CO2 Transport Operator

Fluxys c-grid was established in 2023 as a subsidiary of Fluxys Belgium, which holds a 77.5% majority stake. Pipelink and Socofe each hold 10%, while SFPIM (Federal Holding and Investment Company) holds 2.5%. Designated in 2025 as operator of regional CO2 transport networks in Wallonia and Flanders, the subsidiary is tasked with developing and operating Belgium’s national CO2 transport infrastructure. Through its CarbonConnect project, Fluxys aims to connect Belgian industrial clusters to storage sites in the North Sea, particularly in the United Kingdom.

The Fluxys group employs nearly 1,500 people and operates 28,000 kilometers of pipelines, as well as liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals with a combined annual regasification capacity of 485 TWh. Fluxys Belgium is listed on Euronext. Elsewhere in the carbon capture sector, other industrialists are advancing their own solutions, such as Air Liquide, which is deploying a Cryocap pilot unit to decarbonize the cement industry. The MoU signed in Brussels represents, according to Fluxys, a key step toward building CO2 value chains in northwest Europe.