Belgium clears 260 million euros for Kairos@C carbon capture project

The European Commission has authorised Belgium to grant an ad hoc State aid of 260 million euros to the Kairos@C carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, one of the largest public supports approved in Europe for industrial decarbonisation. The decision, adopted on 11 March 2026 under case number SA.119030, was published in the Official Journal of the European Union (C series, C/2026/4729) on 4 September 2026.

The measure is framed under Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, in the category of cases where the Commission raises no objections. It is an ad hoc direct grant aimed at environmental protection, with a total budget of 260,000,000 euros and a duration running from 15 March 2026 to 31 December 2039.

Beneficiaries and scope

The aid is directed at two industrial operators in the Flemish region (Vlaams Gewest):

• Air Liquide Large Industry NV
• BASF Antwerpen NV

The project covers the capture and storage of CO2 at the Antwerp industrial cluster, targeting sectors that include the manufacture of other organic and inorganic basic chemicals, industrial gases, and fertilisers and nitrogen compounds.

Granting authority and legal basis

The aid will be disbursed by the Flemish public agency VLAIO (Agentschap Innoveren en Ondernemen), part of the Vlaamse Overheid, based at Koning Albert II laan 15, bus 331, 1030 Brussels. The national legal basis will be a decision of the Flemish Government to grant the aid to the Kairos@C project, to be adopted after the Commission’s approval.

The decision is published with EEA relevance, meaning its effects extend to the European Economic Area.

Impact

The authorisation marks one of the largest single State aid commitments to carbon capture and storage in Europe, signalling the Commission’s willingness to back industrial decarbonisation in hard-to-abate sectors. For the Antwerp chemical and industrial cluster, the €260 million grant underpins a flagship project that could serve as a reference for similar CCS initiatives across the Union.

Source: Official Journal of the European Union, C series, C/2026/4729, 4 September 2026, notices (official reference: CELEX C/2026/4729, case SA.119030).