This Wednesday, July 24, 2019, Liege Airport presented its environmental policy to the press, in the presence of Jean-Luc Crucke, Minister of Energy, Climate and Airports of Wallonia, and Luc Partoune, CEO of Liege Airport.
Combine economy and ecology
Conscious of the need for continuous improvement of its environmental management, Liege Airport ensures the sustainable development of the Liège airport as a centre for economic reconversion and as a pole of excellence in the field of transport and logistics. The airport is developing its activities in respect of natural environments and local communities. Beyond the legal requirements, Liege Airport seeks to permanently reduce the environmental impact of its activities.
The objective
Various measures have already been taken and various investments have already been made, but the airport wishes to continue and increase its efforts to achieve the “zero-carbon” objective by 2030. Tackling the climate challenge is not only essential for the development of the airport but must also be integrated into its daily operation.
Measures put in place and to be amplified:
- Rational use of energy to reduce electricity and fossil fuel consumption
The rational use of energy involves making investments in lighting, heating, air conditioning and insulation of buildings and infrastructure. Liege Airport is thus replacing runway beacons with LEDs, LED lighting and “intelligent” lighting of buildings, and installing automatic shutters for halls to limit heat loss.
- Eco-responsible energy production
In 2015, Liege Airport began the installation of a natural gas cogeneration unit coupled with a heat network and a refrigeration unit to limit energy consumption throughout the year and discharges of energy. CO2.
This investment comes in addition to building heating and cooling via geothermal probes.
In addition, several photovoltaic panels have been integrated into some buildings. For new buildings, the possibility of installing panels is studied during the project phase. By the spring of 2020, more than 7,000 photovoltaic cells placed on offices and warehouses will cover 30% of electricity consumption. Other sources of renewable energy such as hydrogen are being considered for inclusion in the energy mix.
In terms of power supply, Liege Airport uses electricity certified “100% green” from the distribution network.
- The setting up of “green” mobility on the airport site
By increasing the quality and availability of public transport and promoting more environmentally friendly modes of transport, Liege Airport wants to contribute to the reduction of traffic congestion and the improvement of air quality. his site. In partnership with the Walloon Region and the Transport Operator of Wallonia (OTW), Liege Airport wants to set up an alternative mobility project on the airport site with the establishment of a real express connection between the station Liège-Guillemins and Liege Airport and the creation of shuttle lines to serve all businesses in the airport area 24 hours a day from a centralised parking. These different shuttles will be propelled to hydrogen.
Moreover, Liege Airport, in partnership with John Cockerill (formerly CMI), has introduced a file as part of the call for projects launched by the Walloon Investment Plan. This project aims to install a hydrogen production and distribution station on the airport site to allow the supply of collective vehicles (shuttles) but also, in the long term, airport equipment.
To encourage electric mobility, Liege Airport also installs charging stations on its car parks, at the disposal of users (customers, staff and visitors). The airport is also committed to integrating “clean” mobility technologies (electricity, hydrogen, hybrid, etc.) into its vehicle-renewal programme.
