Gasunie, an energy network operator, has decided to invest in the first part of an across-the-nation hydrogen network. The first section will run from the Second Maasvlakte to Pernis. Work will begin at the port of Rotterdam after the summer.
Gasunie's first-phase investment worth more than US$109 million. Hynetwork Services, a subsidiary of Gasunie, will be in charge of development. Gasunie oversees and maintains gas transportation and storage infrastructure, which is gradually converting to green gas and hydrogen as part of the energy transition.
The hydrogen network, which would cost around US$1.6 billion, will connect the key industrial zones of the Netherlands and neighbouring countries beginning in 2030.
The network will soon be linked to seaport import terminals, Dutch hydrogen production, and large-scale hydrogen storage facilities.
“On the basis of that role, we can deliver a significant boost for the green hydrogen economy in the Netherlands and Northwest Europe,” stated Allard Castelein, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority.
As mentioned before, the first phase of Rotterdam's hydrogen network will run from the Second Maasvlakte to Pernis. This is a more than thirty-kilometre area that is anticipated to be operational by 2025. The national network will eventually be 1,200 km long, with existing natural gas pipes accounting for 85% of its length.
The national hydrogen network will connect seaports to important industrial clusters in the Netherlands (Eemshaven, North Sea Canal region, Rotterdam, Zeeland, and Limburg) and hydrogen storage sites beginning in 2030. Large-scale storage capacity will increase the flexibility of renewable energy supply.
