Port of Rotterdam Authority reserves space for green hydrogen plant

In the tendering process, the Minister for Climate and Energy encourages companies to smartly integrate much of the wind energy into the energy system. Production of hydrogen directly on the coast is therefore a logical solution. After all, it avoids additional load on the high-voltage grid. The wind farm and hydrogen plant are planned to be ready around 2028.

Allard Castelein, CEO Port of Rotterdam Authority: "The realisation of a hydrogen plant with a capacity of 1 GW is the next scale leap in green hydrogen production. Several companies are now building on the Maasvlakte. Or they have advanced plans to do so. Think, for instance, of electrolysers with a capacity of 200 to 250 MW. These are the largest in Europe for the time being. But we already want to accommodate the next generation of hydrogen plants. Those plants are expected to be five times larger."

Several companies already have hydrogen production plans. They want to realise a total of about 1,350 MW (1.35 GW) of electrolysis in Rotterdam. The Port Authority's ambition is to have 2 to 2.5 GW of electrolysis by 2030. That is within reach with this development. The national government aims for 4 GW nationwide by 2030.

In the coming years, the construction of more and more wind farms in the North Sea is planned. Some of that green generated power will serve to make green hydrogen. Through electrolysis, it is possible to split water (H2O) into hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O). It is interesting to produce hydrogen on the coast as it does not require additional high-voltage cables on land. It is also attractive to produce where the main customers are: industry.

At the end of March, the Minister for Climate and Energy announced the draft ministerial regulations for IJmuiden Ver wind farm (lot Beta). The aim is to build a wind farm with a capacity of 2 GW here, to be completed around 2028. The formal tender procedure will start in the second half of 2023. Several parties have already expressed their interest. Therefore, the Port of Rotterdam Authority is already freeing up 11 ha of space on the Maasvlakte. This space is exclusively for the party that wins this tender and wants to produce green hydrogen on a large scale in Rotterdam.

The site offers space for up to 1 GW of electrolysis and is located next to Tennet's newly built Amaliahaven (380 kV) high-voltage substation. This is where the 2 GW direct current cable from the IJmuiden Ver wind farm lot Beta will soon arrive. All green electricity that can be converted into hydrogen immediately will therefore not enter the electricity grid. This avoids additional load on the grid. Moreover, the new hydrogen pipeline will soon run alongside the site. The transport of the hydrogen produced here towards the customers can thus take place efficiently. Moreover, the site is not far from Evides' water pipeline.

The planned hydrogen plant is not the first to be built in Rotterdam. For example, in December 2022 it was announced that the Port Authority would be collaborating with Battolyser Systems on the Battolyser plant, which will produce 1GW per year.

The Port Authority is also exploring the possibility of connecting the Maasvlakte hydrogen plants to regional heat networks. This will eventually allow these to use 'green' heat to heat houses, greenhouses and offices. As a result, the chosen location is strategically very interesting for the production of green hydrogen.

The Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations encourages different aspects in different tendering procedures for wind farms. For lot Beta, the emphasis is on system integration. To issue the site for hydrogen production, the Port Authority is consulting with the municipality and DCMR on changing the zoning plan. The site is currently zoned for container storage.

Source: Port of Rotterdam Authority

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