ENGIE Prize 2025: Jean Bériot awarded for his research on gas turbine decarbonization
In a context where the fight against climate change is intensifying, the decarbonization of electricity generation is one of the major challenges of the energy transition. Renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, are playing an increasingly important role in the energy mix. However, their variability requires solutions capable of compensating for fluctuations in production and ensuring the balance of the electrical grid.
Gas turbines currently fulfill this role thanks to their high flexibility and reliability. Their main drawback, however, remains their CO₂ emissions. This raises a key question: how can we continue to benefit from these infrastructures while reducing their climate impact? This question lies at the heart of the final-year project of Jean Bériot, a graduate of the Faculty of Engineering at UMONS and recipient of the ENGIE Prize 2025.
CO₂ capture or hydrogen fueling: two pathways to decarbonize gas turbines
Jean Bériot’s thesis explores two technological solutions that are currently the subject of extensive research: capturing carbon dioxide directly from power plant flue gases, or replacing natural gas with a decarbonized fuel, hydrogen.
His work combines an in-depth technical analysis with an economic assessment of both approaches. After examining the feasibility of the processes, 100% hydrogen combustion or CO₂ capture from flue gases, he modeled the different scenarios by coupling Aspen+ software with a Python routine. The study then compares the required investments and operating costs in order to assess the economic viability of each option.
If I had to summarize the objective of my work in one sentence, it would be to determine the most economically viable solution between CO₂ capture and hydrogen combustion in gas turbines, explains Jean Bériot, recipient of the ENGIE Prize 2025 and now an engineer at the Fairwind engineering office.
Throughout his research, the young engineer also collaborated with numerous European industrial and scientific stakeholders, notably through the ETN network, meeting experts from companies such as ENGIE, Siemens, and Mitsubishi. These exchanges led to the development of an application enabling users to adjust model parameters in order to obtain results tailored to their own data.
A long-term collaboration between UMONS and ENGIE
This latest awarding of the ENGIE Prize (fourth edition) is part of an ongoing collaborative effort between the University of Mons and ENGIE: “This event reflects a broader collaboration between UMONS and ENGIE, which has been developing over several years through research projects, the company’s involvement in training our students, and the integration of young graduates into its teams,” emphasizes Diane Thomas, Vice-Rector for transitions, sustainable development, and interactions with society at UMONS.
Through the ENGIE Prize, we aim to encourage rigorous academic work by young talents that provides meaningful answers to the challenges of the energy transition, explains Luc Goossens, CEO of ENGIE Laborelec. Jean Bériot’s thesis perfectly illustrates how collaboration between the University of Mons and ENGIE concretely helps to inform the technological and industrial choices of tomorrow.
“Through his research, Jean has successfully built a real bridge between academic rigor and the challenges of the industrial sector,” emphasizes Vincent Thielens, his supervisor. “The major strength of his work lies in the design of an online simulator, accessible to all, enabling the modeling and comparison of various energy transition scenarios. It is a valuable decision-making tool for assessing the viability and profitability of future strategies. The Thermal and Combustion Department is particularly proud to have supported Jean in the completion of this thesis.”
Through the ENGIE Prize 2025, the University of Mons thus highlights research that helps to inform the technological choices required to build a more sustainable energy system.
