Energy supplier Uniper and the Port of Rotterdam are looking into the possibility of building a green hydrogen plant at the port's Maasvlakte extension.
Maasvlakte, a man-made site on the Dutch North Sea coast, is the gateway to Rotterdam, the biggest bunkering port in Europe. From there, hydrogen could be supplied by pipeline to major industrial complexes in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
The feasibility studies, which are to be completed this summer, investigate the possibility of a 100MW capacity plant by 2025, which will be expanded to 500MW at a later date. The conceptual design and the technical specifications will be developed in the next few months after consultation with the EU's Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) committee.
Hydrogen is produced commercially from natural gas in a carbon-intense reforming process, but green hydrogen is split from water through electrolysis with electricity from renewable sources.
Hydrogen is the preferred fuel for fuel cell technology. Ferry operators DFDS and Stena line are developing hydrogen fuel cells. Hydrogen can be processed into ammonia, the most viable carbon-neutral marine fuel, so a green hydrogen plant at Maasvlakte may be a precursor for developing green ammonia supply chains at the Port of Rotterdam.
The project team is also looking at options for import, storage, and export of green hydrogen at Maasvlakte.
