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Air Liquide (Paris:AI) and Dunkerque LNG welcome the decision of the European Commission to support the D'Artagnan project. This CO2 transportation and exportation infrastructure is part of the “Cap Décarbonation” initiative, which aims to reduce CO2 emissions by 1.5 million tonnes each year in the industrial basin of Dunkirk and its surroundings. The D’Artagnan project will include an Air Liquide pipeline to transport CO2 from the sites of capture as well as a terminal located in the port of Dunkirk to liquefy and load CO2 on ships. The first CO2 infrastructure project in France to receive support from the European Union, D’Artagnan would benefit from a grant of more than 160 million euros as part of the CEF-E (Connecting Europe Facility for Energy) funding program if the project is implemented.

D’Artagnan is the central link of a complete value chain - the “Cap Décarbonation” initiative - which is composed of complementary projects:

- CO2 capture at Eqiom (cement plant in Lumbres1, North of France) and Lhoist (lime production in Réty2, North of France), thanks to the implementation of Air Liquide’s CryocapTM proprietary technology, benefiting from the Innovation Fund funding program.
- CO2 transportation by pipelines and CO2 exportation terminal - D’Artagnan project.

As part of the D'Artagnan project, the CO2 captured would be transported by pipelines built and operated by Air Liquide to a new CO2 terminal in the West Port of Dunkirk, in the proximity of the LNG terminal.

This new terminal, which would be built and operated by Air Liquide and Dunkerque LNG, would receive and liquefy CO2, for shipment to permanent storage sites in the North Sea. As such, Air Liquide and Dunkerque LNG shareholders formed a joint venture which will benefit from Air Liquide's expertise in CO2 management and liquefaction, combined with Dunkerque LNG’s experience in operating terminals. Designed to be open to industrial companies in the region for the transport and shipment of CO2, this terminal would be able to receive 1.5 million tonnes per year, and, in the future, additional volumes of up to 4 million tonnes of CO2 per year - equivalent to more than 5% of greenhouse gas emissions from industry in France. It would thus open the way to other CO2 capture and sequestration projects in the Dunkirk basin.

D’Artagnan would represent an estimated investment of more than 400 million euros3 and would benefit from a grant of more than 160 million euros as part of the CEF-E (Connecting Europe Facility for Energy) funding program. The investment decision of the project will be linked in particular to the signing of CO2 management and capture as a service contracts.

The first CO2 infrastructure project in France to receive support from the European Union, D’Artagnan marks an essential step towards the implementation of the capture and sequestration technologies needed to reduce CO2 emissions in France and Europe.

These technologies are crucial to significantly reduce CO2 emissions from industrial sectors producing essential materials (such as cement and lime), whose emissions are in part difficult to reduce because they are inherent to the manufacturing process.

Emilie Mouren-Renouard, member of Air Liquide’s Executive Committee and Chief Executive Officer of the Europe Industries Hub, said: “Today is the first time that a CO2 infrastructure project in France receives support from the European Union. Together with our partner Dunkerque LNG we are delighted with this major milestone! Decarbonizing industry will be pivotal to achieving the European Union objective of reducing emissions by 55% by 2030. This is why we are involved in the D'Artagnan project, which is part of the wider “Cap Décarbonation” initiative: bringing our expertise and technologies to help industrial players in the Dunkirk industrial port basin to significantly reduce their CO2 emissions.”

Olivier Heurtin, Chairman of Dunkerque LNG, added: "This is an exciting time for the D'Artagnan project. We are celebrating an important milestone. Europe's support is a testimony to the commitment, expertise and collaborative spirit of all the project partners. Together, we are making a positive impact. With this project, Dunkirk would have its own CO2 export infrastructure. The first in France. This shows that this project will be a major factor in the competitiveness and attractiveness of Dunkirk and surrounding area. We are enthusiastic and proud to be an essential link in this project, which will benefit the environment, the region and its residents.”

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of Air Liquide and Dunkerque LNG only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA.
Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

About Air Liquide

Air Liquide is a world leader in gases, technologies and services for industry and healthcare. Present in 72 countries with 67,800 employees, the Group serves more than 4 million customers and patients. Oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen are essential small molecules for life, matter and energy. They embody Air Liquide’s scientific territory and have been at the core of the Group’s activities since its creation in 1902.

Taking action today while preparing the future is at the heart of Air Liquide’s strategy. With ADVANCE, its strategic plan for 2025, Air Liquide is targeting a global performance, combining financial and extra-financial dimensions. Positioned on new markets, the Group benefits from major assets such as its business model combining resilience and strength, its ability to innovate and its technological expertise. The Group develops solutions contributing to climate and the energy transition—particularly with hydrogen—and takes action to progress in areas of healthcare, digital and high technologies.

Air Liquide’s revenue amounted to more than 27.5 billion euros in 2023. Air Liquide is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange (compartment A) and belongs to the CAC 40, CAC 40 ESG, EURO STOXX 50, FTSE4Good and DJSI Europe indexes.

About Dunkerque LNG

Dunkerque LNG, a subsidiary of Fluxys, an independent gas infrastructure group operating throughout Europe, owns the Dunkerque LNG Terminal.

The Group's offer combines gas transmission and storage, as well as port infrastructure management for liquefied natural gas (LNG). Fluxys has 40 years' experience in LNG operations and gas transmission. Its LNG assets and partnerships include the Dunkirk, Zeebrugge, Revithoussa and Quintero (Chile) LNG terminals, an LNG bunkering vessel, and numerous assets and partnerships in gas transmission and storage infrastructures around the world.

The Dunkirk LNG terminal has been in service since 2016. It is located in the western outer harbor of the Grand Port Maritime de Dunkerque (GPMD) on a 56-hectare platform. The second largest terminal in continental Europe, it has an annual regasification capacity of 13 billion m3 of gas, or around 20% of annual French and Belgian natural gas consumption.

1 Phase 2 of K6 project which is subject to additional funding, regulatory approvals and internal feasibility assessments prior to commencement.
2 CalCC project
3 This investment includes the construction of the pipelines and of the CO2 exportation terminal, before consideration of the funding attributed by Europe.