The occasion was marked at a ceremony on the 27th of October involving King Willem-Alexander, the Netherland’s Climate and Energy Policy Minister, the Mayor of Rotterdam, and the King’s Commissioner.
The network is to be made open to all suppliers and buyers of hydrogen, and shall eventually reach 1,200 kilometres in length. Moreover, it is to offer five Dutch industrial clusters access to green hydrogen. On top of this, the Delta Rhine Corridor will provide a connection to Germany.
The first section of more than 30 kilometres runs from the conversion park on the Maasvlakte to Pernis.
The first of four hydrogen plants is currently under construction on the conversion park. This 200MW hydrogen plant, the Holland Hydrogen 1, produces green hydrogen with electricity from wind farms at sea and is expected to transport the first green hydrogen to Pernis in 2025.
“The large-scale storage capabilities provide the hydrogen network with additional flexibility in the supply of green energy. The network also promotes the development of the Netherlands as a European energy hub for hydrogen and the growth of the international hydrogen market. Furthermore, it contributes to European energy independence,” says the Port of Rotterdam, in its statement marking the opening of the hydrogen network.