Port of Rotterdam to offer site suitable for green hydrogen plant

The Port of Rotterdam Authority is developing an 11ha site on the Maasvlakte suitable for the construction of a very large green hydrogen plant.

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. This is the destination of the 2 GW DC cable from the IJmuiden Ver Wind Farm Zone Beta and a new hydrogen pipeline. Moreover, the site is close to the Evides water pipeline. The Port Authority is also exploring the possibility of connecting the Maasvlakte hydrogen plants to regional heat networks.

In order to allocate the site for hydrogen production, the Port Authority said it is consulting with the municipality and DCMR on amending the zoning plan. To note, the site is currently zoned for container storage.

The Port said the reason for the site’s development is the tender for the IJmuiden Ver Wind Farm later this year. To remind, the farm, expected to have a capacity of 2 GW, should be ready around 2028, and according to the Port, various parties have already indicated their interest. The Port Authority will reserve 11 hectares on the Maasvlakte exclusively for the party that wins this tender. The Minister for Climate and Energy announced the draft ministerial regulations for the Zone Beta in late March.

Allard Castelein, Port of Rotterdam Authority CEO, said: “The construction of a hydrogen plant with a capacity of 1 GW is the next leap in scale in the production of green hydrogen. Several companies are now building, or have advanced plans to build, electrolysers with a capacity of 200 to 250 MW at the Maasvlakte. These would currently be the largest in Europe, but we already want to accommodate the next generation of hydrogen plants. These are expected to be five times larger.”

To note, the ambition of the Port Authority is to achieve 2 to 2.5 GW of electrolysis by 2030, while the national government is aiming for 4 GW nationwide.