German energy supply and solutions company Uniper and the Port of Rotterdam Authority are investigating the possibility of large-scale production of green hydrogen at the Maasvlakte area in Rotterdam.
Their ambition is to have the hydrogen plant on the site of Uniper by 2025 with a capacity of 100MW - and to expand this capacity to 500MW. The feasibility study will be completed this summer.
“Our location at Maasvlakte is the perfect place for large-scale production of green hydrogen,” says Andreas Schierenbeck, CEO of Uniper.
“This is where everything comes together: large amounts of renewable energy, the required infrastructure, and industrial customers.”
For the port, the production of green hydrogen on the Uniper site fits in perfectly with the strategy of the port authority to make the industry more sustainable, says Allard Castelein, CEO Port of Rotterdam Authority. “Green hydrogen is a sustainable alternative for natural gas to realise high temperatures. Besides, it is an important sustainable feedstock for the chemical industry.”
In the production of green hydrogen, renewable energy is used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. This process is called electrolysis. Maasvlakte is an ideal location for the production of green hydrogen, says Schierenbeck. “Renewable electricity from offshore wind farms will come ashore here, and various relevant facilities are already available on the Uniper site.”
After the successful prequalification for the EU IPCEI (Important Projects of Common European Interest) programme, the conceptual design and the technical dimensions of the new plant will be developed in the next few months. The potential market for sustainable hydrogen, both in the Rotterdam port area and in Germany, will be examined. In due course, supply to major industrial complexes in North Rhine-Westphalia will also be possible through pipelines. The project team is also looking at options for import, storage and export at Maasvlakte.
