(Rotterdam / Netherlands) – The Rotterdam Port Authority is developing an eleven-hectare site on the Maasvlakte industrial area for the construction of a hydrogen factory. The reason for this is the tender for the “IJmuiden Ver” wind farm in the second half of this year. The Port of Rotterdam Authority reserves the space exclusively for the provider who wins the contract and wants to produce green hydrogen on a large scale in Rotterdam.
Completion by 2028
The commissioning of both the two gigawatt wind farm and the hydrogen factory with a capacity of one gigawatt is planned for “around 2028”. The construction is “the next quantum leap,” says Allard Castelein, managing director of the Port of Rotterdam Authority.
As reported, the port has increasingly developed into a hub for hydrogen and its derivatives in recent years. Several companies are building or planning electrolysers with a capacity of 200 to 250 megawatts on the Maasvlakte. “We now want to create space for the next generation of hydrogen factories, which will probably be five times larger,” says Allard Castelein. The cumulative capacity already announced is around 1.350 megawatts. The port authority is aiming for an electrolysis capacity of two to 2030 gigawatts by 2,5. According to the government's plans, four gigawatts are to be installed across the Netherlands by 2030.
Wind power directly for hydrogen production
The site now intended for planning is located next to the Amaliahaven substation of the transmission system operator Tennet. The 2 gigawatt direct current cable for the electricity generated on the Beta section of the IJmuiden wind farm will then be landed here in order to be used directly for hydrogen production. This avoids additional strain on the power grid.
In addition, a new hydrogen pipeline will be laid along the site, which will allow the energy source produced here to be “transported to customers in an efficient manner,” according to a statement. The port authority is also examining the possibility of connecting the hydrogen factories to the regional district heating networks. This means that apartments, greenhouses and offices could be heated with green heat in due course.
However, before the site is available for electrolysers, the land use plan must be changed, which currently provides for the storage of containers there. The port authority is therefore holding discussions with the municipality and the Rijnmond Environmental Protection Service (DCMR).
Photos
By 2028, an electrolyzer will be built on the Maasvlakte, an artificial island in the industrial and port area of Rotterdam, which will use the electricity from a new wind farm directly to produce hydrogen. © Port of Rotterdam / Martens Multimedia
