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caverns are present in the region for the buffering of hydrogen that has been sustainably generated via electrolysers. Thus, a seamless match between supply and demand is possible.
DOUBLE GREEN
A first pilot project with green hydrogen in 2017 focused on mobility. “As Groningen Seaports, we laid a hydrogen pipeline to a new hydrogen filling station on the outskirts of Chemical Park Delfzijl.
It is the first public hydrogen pipeline in the Netherlands. The
green hydrogen is sourced from speciality chemicals manufacturer Nouryon. For them, it is a residual product from the electrolysis-based production of chlorine. It is in fact double green hydrogen: Nouryon uses green electricity in the electrolyser and the hydrogen produced is now being used to fuel sustainable public transport.”
INVESTMENT AGENDA OF 2.8 BILLION EUROS
Groningen Seaports is now on the eve of further expanding the hydrogen pipeline network across Chemical Park Delfzijl. And this
is just the beginning. Until 2030, the business sector’s ambitions
for hydrogen in the northern Netherlands comprises 33 projects
with a planned investment amount of 2.8 billion euros. A first new electrolyser with a capacity of 20 megawatts is scheduled to come on
‘AS GRONINGEN SEAPORTS,
WE LAID THE FIRST PUBLIC HYDROGEN PIPELINE IN THE NETHERLANDS’
stream in 2021. Plans for the construction of subsequent, even larger electrolysers providing between 100 megawatts and 1 gigawatt are in various stages of preparation.
MARITIME FUEL OF THE FUTURE?
An important question is whether hydrogen can also serve as the maritime fuel of the future. A first hydrogen-powered catamaran is already sailing the world’s seas. At the European level, several new construction projects for hydrogen ships are underway. Bart van
der Kolk, sustainability coordinator at Groningen Seaports: “The current use of bunker oil is finite. Companies are working hard to find alternatives: biofuels, LNG, batteries, etc. In this respect, hydrogen
is a fuel that could use an extra boost from the port community, for example through the creation of a bunker facility. Once that has been realised, I expect a substantial spin-off.”
“The development resembles that of electric cars,” concludes harbour master Pieter van der Wal. “In the initial phase, charging points were few and far between. That inhibited growth. So what should come first: the hydrogen ship or the hydrogen bunker facility? We aim to facilitate the latter. The industrial sector here will generate a lot of hydrogen in the future. We will no longer need to collect fuel in Saudi Arabia. Of course, that is much greener as well.”
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