Electrons to High-Value Chemical Products - E2C

VoltaChem and partners from the 2 Seas region have joined forces from 1 July in the interregional project "Electrons to high-value chemical products (E2C project)". The cross-border project awarded by the Interreg 2 Seas programme focuses on the conversion of CO₂ into chemicals and fuels, using renewable electricity. The aim of this expert consortium - consisting of 7 research partners and 35 industrial observer partners from the Netherlands, Belgium, France and England - is to accelerate the development and implementation of Power-to-X and CO₂ conversion technology. The project will run for 3.5 years and result in the construction and showcasing of two pilot installations demonstrating the possibilities of Power-to-X technologies.

World leading region in Power-to-X and CO₂ utilization

In the 2 seas programme area, there is a strong and urgent need to manage the increasingly variable electricity supplies coming from the drastic growth of offshore renewable energy. Meanwhile, the heavy industry is under pressure to reduce CO₂ emissions and to make processes more sustainable as a result of the new climate targets. The combination of these two challenges and the availability of a high-tech knowledge-intensive technology supplier industry will offer the unique opportunity for this European region to become a world leader in one of the important solutions: conversion of CO₂ into useful products using renewable energy. This cross-border project aims to accelerate the establishment of that unique position by filling in an important gap in the development of such processes for the industry, namely the screening and piloting steps between lab scale proof-of-principle and commercial demonstration.

According to the Interreg 2 Seas Monitoring Committee, “E2C is a highly innovative and relevant project for the 2 Seas Programme. The area could get a strategic advantage and become a leading region in the field thanks to the increasing transfer and uptake of Power-to-X technologies”.

Cross-border consortium

The new consortium consists of 7 core partners and 35 industrial observer partners from the Netherlands, Belgium, France and the UK. Within the core partnership, applied institutes TNO (including ECN part of TNO) and VITO will focus on the development of the technologies towards pilot installations in industry, while the academic partners TU Delft, University of Antwerp, University of Exeter and University of Lille will work on detailed research and development improving the limitations of the technologies. The University of Sheffield will be focused on communication, dissemination, and impact through its CO2Chem network together with us. Furthermore, 35 companies from the equipment, energy & chemical sectors are closely involved in the project as observer partners, providing technical or market input and advising on the development of the project towards the pilot installations. This international open innovation platform, run by VoltaChem and CO2Chem, will be open for additional industrial partners during and after the project.