Rotterdam Port, Gasunie Work on Hydrogen Pipe
The Rotterdam port authority and Dutch gas transmission firm Gasunie are working together to develop a hydrogen pipeline to provide Dutch industry with access to the fuel, the companies said on March 17.
A "definite" decision on the HyTransPort.RTM project is expected to be taken by the partners in the second half of 2021. The pipeline is due to start operations in the second quarter of 2024, and will be available to any hydrogen consumers and suppliers. Eventually it is expected to form part of the national hydrogen grid, and will also be connected with Chemelot in the Dutch Limburg province, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany and other European regions.
HyTransPort.RTM is "a key step forward in establishing Rotterdam as a major European hydrogen hub," the companies said, calling on companies interested in using the pipeline to contact them. Shell has already expressed interest in hooking up to the pipeline, and is in talks with the partners on prerequisites and specifications. The Anglo-Dutch major is developing an electrolyser at Maasvlakte 2 that will produce so-called green hydrogen from water.
Exploratory discussions are also underway with other interested parties. Those that want to participate as launching customers need to contact the port and Gasunie before April 10. Over the next six months, the partners will elaborate on the business case for the pipeline, form client contracts, work out technical aspects and secure permits.
There are a number of hydrogen ventures underway in the Netherlands, which has extensive natural gas infrastructure that could be repurposed for carrying the fuel. Porthos in Rotterdam aims to convert dirty grey hydrogen into clean blue hydrogen by capturing 2.5mn metric tons/year of CO2. Others include the 1-GW Hydrogen Delta green hydrogen project and the blue H-vision venture.