Shell, Gasunie and Groningen Seaports have launched a project that will entail construction of a purpose-built up to 10GW offshore wind farm to supply electricity for industrial-scale production of green hydrogen in the Netherlands.
The partners today signed off on the NortH2 project, which aims to produce green hydrogen using renewable electricity generated by a 3GW to 4GW offshore wind farm in 2030 and 10GW by 2040, contributing to the objectives of the Dutch Climate Accord.
NortH2 will start with a feasibility study that the consortium expects to conclude by the end of this year.
The partners are planning on having the first offshore wind turbines for the project installed by 2027 to produce the first hydrogen that year.
According to the partners, this depends, among other things, on permits from governments, the assignment of new wind farm locations in the North Sea, the available locations for the electrolyser plants for making hydrogen from electrolysis and the final investment decisions of the parties concerned.
“The realisation therefore partly depends on the contributions of various industrial and energy partners. NortH2’s partners anticipate that the initial project phases may potentially require European and national subsidies available for the decarbonisation of energy,” stated the NortH2 consortium.
Green hydrogen production, initially in Eemshaven, is expected to be around 800,000 tonnes per year by 2040, avoiding seven megatonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
NortH2 has the support of the Province of Groningen and Shell, Gasunie and Groningen Seaports are looking for partners to expand the consortium and help deliver project.
Under the project proposals new wind farms in the North Sea will feed a mega-hydrogen facility in Eemshaven, possibly complemented with offshore hydrogen production.
Gasunie’s infrastructure will be used to transport green hydrogen to industrial customers in the Netherlands and Northwest Europe.
The power-to-gas infrastructure will also act as a “buffer” to provide flexibility in the power grid to balance out variable solar and wind generation.
The province of Groningen will become the European “centre of green hydrogen production” and Europe’s first “Hydrogen Valley”.
According to the partners the investments in NortH2 could create thousands of jobs in the northern Netherlands.
Green hydrogen, produced with renewable sources such as wind and solar energy, is central to the Dutch Climate Accord and the European Green Deal.
At present, industry is already using large quantities of hydrogen, but this mainly produced from natural gas. Replacement with green hydrogen will contribute to the decarbonisation of the industry.
Shell Nederland president-director Marjan van Loon said: “Together, we are launching an ambition that puts the Netherlands at the forefront of hydrogen globally.
“In addition, it contributes to achieving the objectives of the Dutch Climate Agreement and accelerates the energy transition. This project offers opportunities throughout the entire hydrogen chain.
“In addition, it fits well with our New Energies aspirations and our ambitions to find new ways to reduce carbon dioxide emisions and deliver more and cleaner energy, at home, on the go and at work.
“In order to realise this project, we will need several new partners. Together we will have to pioneer and innovate to bring together all the available knowledge and skills that are required. The energy transition calls for guts, boldness, and action.”
Gasunie chief executive Han Fennema said: “The Netherlands has a leading position in the shift to a hydrogen economy. We have the North Sea for the production of wind, the ports as logistical hubs, and the industrial clusters that want to make the switch to green molecules and a suitable transport network.
“This comes together perfectly in the northern Netherlands at the Groningen Seaports where the conversion to hydrogen takes place, with storage in Zuidwending and an ambitious province.
“If we want to realise our climate ambitions, we must have large-scale infrastructure in good time. With these partners, and hopefully even more partners soon, we are helping the market to accelerate the transition to renewable energy.”
Groningen Seaports CEO Cas Konig added: “We are already actively building the green industry of the future in the north of the Netherlands. An important part of industry in Delfzijl is already using hydrogen and the construction of Europe’s largest green hydrogen facility in our port city is imminent.
“Because of this, industry can decarbonise significantly and has the ability to continue growth, as a result of which our position is strengthened even further.
“Our target is to become Europe’s largest green hydrogen chain with the northern Netherlands at the centre.”