(Rotterdam / Netherlands) – Shell was the first customer to sign a contract to use the hydrogen pipeline called “HyTransPort” in the port of Rotterdam. It will be laid by the Dutch energy company Gasunie from the Maasvlakte industrial and port area over a length of 32 kilometers to Pernis. Shell wants its “Holland Hydrogen I” electrolyser 
which the company will build on the Maasvlakte, to the pipeline to transport the hydrogen to its refineries in Pernis. Production should be in operation by early 2025 at the latest.
The contract with Shell is an “important step” and an infrastructure like HyTransPort is “critically important” for the start of the hydrogen economy in the port of Rotterdam, said Jeroen Steens from the port authority. The investment decision for both projects – electrolysis and pipepine – will be made in the first half of this year.
Connection to the European hydrogen network
The hydrogen pipeline with a diameter of 24 inches (61 centimeters) is “an important link for the sustainable hydrogen economy in the Netherlands and northwestern Europe.” It will be gradually connected to the national and international network, according to a statement.
The 200 megawatt plant “Hydrogen Holland I“ Thyssenkrupp Uhde Chlorine Engineers GmbH produces alkaline water electrolysis. Commissioning is scheduled for 2024, the Essen-based company announced in January. This supports the “development of a large hydrogen hub” for Europe’s “transition to green energy,” said Christoph Noeres, Head of Green Hydrogen at Thyssenkrupp Uhde Chlorine Engineers.
The center of “Hydrogen Holland I” is a hall that extends over two hectares – the size of three football fields. The outer walls of the factory would be equipped with solar cells. The electricity for electrolysis will one day come from the Hollandse Kust (Noord) offshore wind farm.
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Future location of the Shell electrolysis on the Maasvlakte. © Port of Rotterdam
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Holland Hydrogen Project: “This is what the hall could look like one day. © Port of Rotterdam
