Rotterdam floats site for greenhydrogen plant

The Port of Rotterdam Authority is developing a site on the Maasvlakte suitable for the construction of a very large green hydrogen plant as part of the tender for the IJmuiden Ver wind farm later this year.

In late March, Dutch Minister for Climate and Energy Rob Jetten announced the draft ministerial regulations for IJmuiden Ver Wind Farm Zone Beta. It will have a capacity of 2 GW and should be ready around 2028. The formal tender process will start in the second half of 2023 and various parties have already indicated their interest.

At Zone Beta, the emphasis is on so-called system integration, meaning assessing how a plan fits into the overall Dutch energy system. “Using the green electricity to produce green hydrogen is therefore the obvious choice,” the port said.

A site of 11 hectares will be reserved on the Maasvlakte exclusively for the party that wins this tender and wants to produce green hydrogen on a large scale in Rotterdam. The site offers space for up to 1 GW of electrolysis and is located next to where Tennet’s Amaliahaven (380 kV) high-voltage substation will be built. The port is also exploring the possibility of connecting the Maasvlakte hydrogen plants to regional heat networks, which would eventually allow the use of green heat to heat houses, greenhouses and offices.

The port is currently consulting with the municipality and environmental protection agency DCMR on amending the zoning plan under which the site is currently zoned for container storage.

Several companies have plans to realise a total of about 1.35 GW of electrolysis in Rotterdam, including Shell and Uniper. The ambition of the port, however, is to achieve 2 to 2.5 GW of electrolysis by 2030 as part of the Dutch government’s aim of 4 GW nationwide by 2030.