The Netherlands – The Port of Rotterdam Authority is preparing an 11-hectare location on the Maasvlakte for the development of a massive green hydrogen plant. The reason is the upcoming tender for the IJmuiden Ver Wind Farm.
The Minister for Climate and Energy encourages enterprises to smartly integrate much of the wind energy into the energy system in the plan Beta procedure. The direct production of hydrogen on the coast is a sensible solution because it avoids adding additional load to the high-voltage network. The wind farm and hydrogen factory are expected to be completed by 2028.
Many companies intend to build approximately 1,350 MW (1.35 GW) of electrolysis capacity in Rotterdam. The Port Authority’s goal is to reach 2 to 2.5 GW of electrolysis by 2030. With this advancement, that will be possible. The national government intends to reach 4 GW by 2030.
Wind farms
Wind farms will be erected in greater numbers in the North Sea in the coming years. A portion of the electricity they create will be used to produce green hydrogen: electrolysis converts water (H20) into hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2) (O). This green hydrogen can be used instead of natural gas. Producing hydrogen near the coast is appealing because it eliminates the need for additional high-voltage lines on land. It is also appealing to produce where the majority of the customers are: industry.
The draught ministerial regulations for IJmuiden Ver Wind Farm Zone Beta were announced by the Ministry for Climate and Energy in late March. It will have a capacity of 2 GW and is expected to be completed in 2028. The formal procurement procedure will begin in the second part of 2023. Several parties have already expressed an interest. The Port of Rotterdam Authority will reserve 11 hectares on the Maasvlakte solely for the winning party who wishes to create green hydrogen on a significant scale in Rotterdam.
Electrolysis
This location can accommodate up to 1 GW of electrolysis and is adjacent to Tennet’s Amaliahaven (380 kV) high-voltage substation. The 2 GW DC cable from the IJmuiden Ver Wind Farm Zone Beta arrives here. All green electricity turned directly into hydrogen does not enter the electricity grid, reducing grid load. Furthermore, the new hydrogen pipeline will shortly be built alongside the site. As a result, the hydrogen produced here may be efficiently transferred to clients. Furthermore, the location is adjacent to the Evides water pipeline. Finally, the Port Authority is looking into linking the Maasvlakte hydrogen plants to regional heat networks. They will soon be able to employ ‘green’ heat to heat homes, greenhouses, and offices. All of these elements combine to make this a highly advantageous location for the production of green hydrogen.
Dutch energy system
The Ministry of Economic Affairs (EZK) promotes many issues in various wind farm tender procedures. The emphasis in IJmuiden Ver Zone Alpha, which lands in Borsele, is on natural development in connection with wind farms, while Zone Beta is on so-called system integration. This entails determining how a strategy fits into the larger Dutch energy system. Utilizing green power to generate green hydrogen is thus the obvious choice.
The Port Authority is discussing with the town and DCMR on revising the zoning plan in order to assign the land for hydrogen production: the site is now allocated for container storage.
