LNG giant Shell has taken a final investment decision to build what it says is Europe’s largest renewable or green hydrogen plant in the Dutch port of Rotterdam.
Shell Nederland and Shell Overseas Investments, both units of Shell, will build the plant named Holland Hydrogen I.
According to Shell, its units would construct the 200MW electrolyzer on the Tweede Maasvlakte in the port of Rotterdam and expect to launch it in 2025.
The plant will produce up to 60,000 kilograms of renewable hydrogen per day.
Moreover, the renewable power for the electrolyzer will come from the offshore wind farm Hollandse Kust (noord). Shell partly owns the farm.
The hydrogen produced will supply the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rotterdam, by way of the HyTransPort pipeline, where it will replace some of the grey hydrogen usage in the refinery.
Also, this will partially decarbonize the facility’s production of energy products like petrol and diesel and jet fuel.
As heavy-duty trucks are coming to market and refueling networks grow, renewable hydrogen supply can also be directed toward these to help in decarbonizing commercial road transport, Shell said.
Shell boosting hydrogen business
Shell says it owns and operates around 10 percent of the global capacity of installed hydrogen electrolyzers.
This includes a 20 MW electrolyizer in China and a 10 MW proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer in Germany which can produce, respectively, 3,000 tonnes and 1,300 tonnes of hydrogen a year.
“Holland Hydrogen I demonstrates how new energy solutions can work together to meet society’s need for cleaner energy. It is also another example of Shell’s own efforts and commitment to become a net-zero emissions business by 2050,” Anna Mascolo, executive VP, emerging energy solutions at Shell said in the statement.
In addition, renewable hydrogen would play a “pivotal role” in the energy system of the future and this project is “an important step in helping hydrogen fulfil that potential,” Mascolo said.
