With Shell’s announcement of its intention to commission a green hydrogen plant in 2023, the hydrogen economy in the port of Rotterdam is gaining momentum. ‘We are now accelerating plans to build a public hydrogen network in the port area,’ says Port of Rotterdam Authority CEO Allard Castelein.

The plant will be located on the Second Maasvlakte. The hydrogen will be transported from there via a new pipeline to the refinery in Pernis. Gasunie and the Port of Rotterdam Authority want to lay this pipeline jointly. No financial details have been disclosed.

‘It’s the energy of the 21st century,’ says Castelein, who assumes that several hydrogen terminals will later be built in Rotterdam. ‘In Northwest Europe, we cannot produce enough hydrogen, so a lot will have to be imported. Rotterdam is going to play a central role in this, just as it is now doing for oil. This will ensure that the port of Rotterdam remains an important pillar of the Dutch economy.’

Shell plans to produce the green hydrogen using green electricity from wind energy. This wind energy will preferably come from the offshore wind farm Hollandse Kust (north). Together with Eneco, Shell is participating in the tender for this wind farm. If Eneco and Shell win the permit, the wind farm is expected to have a capacity of 759 megawatts and will soon generate enough electricity to supply green power to more than 1 million households.

Hydrogen is a sustainable alternative to natural gas. It can be produced from natural gas in which the CO2 released is stored under the North Sea or by splitting water molecules with (green) electricity.

Source: ANP