Sweco supports Messer Benelux permitting process for new air separation plant

Messer Benelux has obtained the final permit for the construction of a new air separation plant in the port of Ghent. Sweco successfully supported this complex permitting process.

With an investment of €60 million and the creation of 30 additional jobs, Messer is reinforcing an important industrial anchor in Flanders. The new facility will produce oxygen, nitrogen and argon: essential gases for sectors such as chemicals, food and healthcare.

From strategy to permit with Sweco Loket

Securing this permit required close collaboration between Messer and Sweco. Risks related to permitting feasibility were carefully assessed. In an adapted design, Messer therefore switched to a closed cooling system, eliminating the need to extract or discharge canal water.

The permitting landscape in Flanders is becoming increasingly complex: stricter requirements, more appeals and broader environmental impact procedures make every application more challenging. Sweco’s approach, bundled in the integrated Sweco Loket, offers major added value.

By combining technical expertise, legal knowledge and proactive permit management through Sweco Loket, the process became transparent, robust and predictable. We ensure that procedures, studies and reports are perfectly aligned. This increases the likelihood of success and avoids costly delays.

High-tech production of oxygen, nitrogen, argon and strong CO₂ capture expertise

Messer is one of the world’s largest players in industrial gases and has strong international expertise in CO₂ recovery. In Belgium, the company currently operates two installations for capturing and purifying CO₂: at INEOS in the port of Antwerp and at Alco Bio Fuel in Ghent.

Messer supplies essential gases that help make industrial processes cleaner and more efficient. Oxygen is used to optimise combustion processes and reduce emissions, while nitrogen is widely applied in the food industry to extend shelf life by removing oxygen from packaging.

Green light for construction in 2026

With the permit secured, Messer plans to start construction in mid-May 2026 on the former Langerbrugge power site. Commercial start-up is scheduled for 2028. The facility will play an important role in supplying essential gases to industry and healthcare in Belgium.

Sweco Loket strengthens complex permitting projects

Our integrated approach and the interaction between design and permitting create dossiers that are technically strong, legally robust and efficient throughout the approval process. Through Sweco Loket, we streamline the full permitting journey:

• rapid deployment of the right experts (engineers, environmental specialists, ecologists, spatial planners…)
• full oversight from feasibility study to final application
• close coordination with permitting authorities
• rapid anticipation of new insights or additional requirements

Curious how Sweco makes the difference in challenging permitting processes?
Our experts will be happy to help you.