Dunkirk, a pioneer in low-carbon industry

Dunkerque-Port is a member of the Groupement d’Intérêt Public (GIP) ÉcosytèmeD, created at the initiative of the Communauté urbaine de Dunkerque (CUD). This dedicated territorial structure mobilises all its private and public stakeholders around the promotion of more sustainable production processes, the development of circular economy loops, and the development of renewable energies.

In order to carry out the engineering and feasibility studies to reduce carbon emissions, the DKarbonation project in the Dunkirk industrial area has received a total of €13.6 million in State support as the winner of the ‘Low-carbon industrial zones’ (ZIBAC) call for projects launched by the Ministry of Industry via the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME).

Achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 is a collaborative effort. Dunkerque-Port, manager and developer of a major port and industrial zone, works with the territory on a daily basis to promote and support decarbonisation projects.

Maurice GEORGES

Chairman of the Executive Board of Dunkerque-Port

The drivers of industrial decarbonisation

Dunkirk’s industrial players are investing in a major transformation of their manufacturing processes, focusing on a number of areas:

Implementing industrial processes that consume less energy and raw materials.
Using electricity, hydrogen or biogas to replace fossil fuels.
Adopting production models based on the circular economy
Use and recovery of CO₂
Capture, transport and storage of CO₂

From 2028, the Dunkirk LNG terminal will be equipped for the storage and export of large-scale liquefied CO₂. This infrastructure will make it possible to load liquid bulk vessels for transport to geological storage sites, making Dunkirk France’s leading CO₂ export site, and strengthening its competitiveness and attractiveness. We are proud to contribute to this initiative for the benefit of the environment and its inhabitants.

Olivier HEURTIN

Chairman Dunkerque LNG – Member of the Dunkerque-Port Development Council

Decarbonisation networks

The objective of industrial carbon neutrality requires the deployment of large-scale infrastructures in the Dunkirk port area:

Electricity investment of more than €1 billion by RTE in new network infrastructure (substations & lines)
Hydrogen deployment of a shared and pooled hydrogen transport pipeline, which could be interconnected to the rest of the European network
Heat creation of an inter-industry heating network
Water development of a water loop enabling the reuse of industrial wastewater and diversification of non-conventional water sources
Hub CO₂ The d’Artagnan project, supported by Air Liquide and Dunkirk, involves building a network of pipelines to transport captured CO₂ and creating a reception, liquefaction, storage and maritime export terminal.

Setting a course for green reindustrialisation

In line with the challenges of sovereignty and the energy and ecological transition, the Port of Dunkirk is establishing itself as a key player in the green reindustrialisation of Europe.

The electric mobility sector is at the heart of this economic transformation, positioning Dunkirk as the centre of the Hauts-de-France battery valley.

The installation of production units by VERKOR, PROLOGIUM, ORANO-XTC NEW ENERGY and SUEZ in the Dunkirk industrial port zone testifies to the importance of this low-carbon industry.