The Port of Rotterdam Authority and the national energy company of Iceland will investigate whether green hydrogen can be imported from that country. The Port Authority has been arguing for some time for investment in hydrogen so that Rotterdam can grow into an international hub for the energy source.
According to a proposal by the European Commission, hydrogen should become the pillar of the European Union’s energy supply.
Green hydrogen is produced using renewable energy. ‘Northwest Europe will have to import large quantities of hydrogen to become CO2 neutral,’ says Port of Rotterdam Authority CEO Allard Castelein. ‘We expect hydrogen to take over the current position of oil, both as an energy carrier and as a raw material for industry.’ According to him, Iceland can supply large quantities of green hydrogen at a good price.
A report by research institute DRIFT, published in June, states that even in a climate-neutral future, North-Western Europe will be a major net importer of energy. In 2050, dependence on imports in this area could rise to 60 per cent, and for the Netherlands as much as 75 per cent. Hydrogen plays an important role in a climate-neutral future, among other things because as an energy source it is more stable than sources that depend on the weather.
Source: ANP
Picture: Ljósafoss, Landvirkjun’s oldest hydropower plant (1937) where Landsvirkjun now plans its first hydrogen plant.
