Shell signs off on Rotterdam port hydrogen plant

Shell has taken the final investment decision to build Europe’s largest green hydrogen plant on Maasvlakte 2 at the Port of Rotterdam.

The plant will be named Holland Hydrogen I and is expected to become operational in 2025.

Shell signed the supply contract with thyssenkrupp Uhde Chlorine Engineers in January.

The 200MW electrolyser will be constructed on the Tweede Maasvlakte in the Port of Rotterdam and will produce up to 60,000 kilograms of renewable hydrogen per day, according to the port.

The renewable power for the electrolyser will come from the offshore wind farm Hollandse Kust (noord), partly owned by Shell.

The renewable 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.

The port said this will partially decarbonise the facility’s production of energy products, and renewable hydrogen will also supply heavy-duty trucks and promote green shift across commercial road transport.

Earlier last week, the Port of Rotterdam in partnership with Eneco said it will install shore-based power facilities in the Waalhaven to allow Boskalis vessels to run on green power replacing fossil fuel.

The intended delivery date for the shore power installation is 1 June 2023. The facility will supply two GWh of green energy per year, resulting in a CO2 emission reduction of 1.6 kilotons per year.