A plant to produce blue hydrogen on a large scale could be operational at the Netherlands Port of Den Helder by 2027.
The Port of Den Helder, Groningen Seaports and the Port of Amsterdam are collaborating closely on a transition to a hydrogen economy under the Hydroports initiative. A key part of this is a blue hydrogen factory planned by H2Gateways, a consortium of businesses and public bodies,
Jacoba Bolderheij, managing director of the Port of Den Helder, said: “Our port offers a unique location for a central blue hydrogen plant, thanks to the proximity of the gas fields under the North Sea and the presence of Western Europe's largest gas processing station. The gas infrastructure present in Den Helder together with the activity, knowledge and skills in that field can be used to speed up the supply of carbon-free hydrogen to industry elsewhere in the Netherlands.”
H2Gateway’s blue hydrogen plant could boost ambition to switch to carbon-free production technologies, and reduce the total industrial carbon emission from the major industrial clusters in the Netherlands by some 14%.
As part of the Hydroports initiative, the Port of Amsterdam is working with Gasunie to examine whether a regional hydrogen pipeline between IJmuiden and Amsterdam is feasible. It is also considering creating a 100MW hydrogen plant with Nouryon and Tata Steel.
A good national transport network is required to develop an open market for hydrogen. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate and the network operators TenneT and Gasunie are working on establishing the Highway27 project to connect all the regions. This will enable the blue hydrogen plant to supply hydrogen on a large scale.
