Belgium – like most EU countries - has long depended on international energy flows to power its economy. This includes some of Europe’s most important industrial clusters, which need to be made more resilient in a new world order under which fossil fuel price shocks threaten our competitiveness. These industries also need to be decarbonised.
An abundant hydrogen market offers an opportunity for the country to diversify and strengthen its energy system, support the transformation of its energy-intensive industries, and position Belgium at the centre of an emerging European clean hydrogen market.
These themes will take centre stage at European Hydrogen Week 2026, taking place in Brussels from 26 to 30 October under the banner “Scaling Hydrogen, Strengthening Resilience.” The event will bring together policymakers, industry leaders, innovators, researchers and businesses from across the hydrogen value chain.
For anyone interested or invested in Belgium's energy and industrial future, this event is the place to be.
Hydrogen can strengthen Belgium's resilience
Belgium's position in the European energy system makes resilience and diversification of supply important considerations. Nestled in the heart of Europe, it is an important cross roads between major economic and industrial countries. Its ports, pipelines, waterways, rail connections and existing industrial infrastructure provide the building blocks for a hydrogen economy that extends well beyond Belgium's borders.
With North Sea access, including through one of Europe’s largest ports – the Port of Antwerp-Bruges – it will be able to combine domestic production with strategic imports to become a bona fide hydrogen hub for Europe, transporting this essential molecule to its European neighbours.
That is already reflected in Belgium's stated hydrogen ambitions. Port of Antwerp-Bruges has identified hydrogen and its derivatives as an important part of the country's future energy supply, with the port positioned to import, process and distribute renewable hydrogen and hydrogen carriers such as ammonia and methanol. The port has also highlighted Belgium's potential role as an import and transit hub for hydrogen in Europe.
A pathway for Belgian industry
Belgium is home to major industrial activity, including Europe's largest integrated chemical cluster around Antwerp. Many of these industries require large quantities of energy and molecules that cannot easily be replaced through direct electrification alone.
Clean hydrogen and hydrogen-derived fuels can provide another route to decarbonisation and to self-sufficiency in lieu of the fossil fuel imports its industry now relies on. Hydrogen can be used directly in industrial processes, while derivatives such as ammonia and methanol can serve as energy carriers or feedstocks in sectors where alternatives are more challenging.
For Belgium's industrial hinterlands, this means the development of a functioning hydrogen market could support the transition away from fossil-based energy and feedstocks while maintaining the industrial activity and infrastructure that underpin the economy.
Connecting Europe’s energy systems
Infrastructure will be critical to Belgium and Europe’s success in creating a hydrogen market capable of delivering on its promise. The country is already working to develop hydrogen pipeline connections linking ports with industrial areas and neighbouring countries.
Port of Antwerp-Bruges has identified pipelines as an essential component in moving imported hydrogen and its derivatives from maritime gateways towards industrial consumers, with planned infrastructure connecting Belgian industrial areas and Germany.
Many challenges remain for Belgium to achieve its potential as a European hydrogen hub and decarbonised industrial leader. Questions over funding, policy, and infrastructure persist, and there is no better place to get the latest updates and insights than at European Hydrogen Week 2026.
The programme combines an exhibition floor – demonstrating the latest in hydrogen technology – with compelling debate and thought leadership, bringing together stakeholders from across Europe's hydrogen ecosystem from Commissioners, Members of European Parliament, industry leaders, and innovators. The discussions will take place at the High-Level Policy Conference, the B2B Forum, and the Innovation Forum, each focusing on specific topics affecting the sector.
Notable side events on offer include a dedicated site visit to Port of Antwerp-Bruges on 29 October, offering participants a direct look at one of the key infrastructure hubs in Belgium's hydrogen ambitions.
In keeping with the theme of interconnectivity between countries, an event titled Connecting Europe with emerging clean energy markets: accelerating green hydrogen development, organized by the Economic Cooperation Organization Clean Energy Centre (CECECO) and Hydrogen Europe, will explore how innovation, infrastructure, and international partnerships can support the development of future green energy and hydrogen corridors connecting Europe with emerging clean energy markets.
For Belgian businesses, policymakers, investors, researchers and technology providers, the European Hydrogen Week provides an opportunity to understand where the sector is heading — and to connect with the organisations helping shape that future.
Belgium has many of the ingredients needed to play a significant role in Europe's hydrogen economy: strategic ports, industrial demand, existing infrastructure and connections to neighbouring markets. The next step is turning those assets into a functioning, resilient and competitive hydrogen ecosystem.
Register here, free of charge, for the European Hydrogen Week 2026 and be part of the conversation shaping Europe's hydrogen future.
