Uniper Eyes Dutch Green Hydrogen Project

German utility Uniper and the Port of Rotterdam are investigating the possibilities of large-scale production of green hydrogen at the Maasvlakte area in Rotterdam, the company said February 8. The hydrogen will compete for demand with natural gas in industrial applications.

The parties hope to realise a hydrogen plant, using electrolysis power by renewable electricity, on Uniper's site by 2025. Initial capacity is 100 MW, with the potential to reach 500 MW, and with marketing options including pipeline transport to the major industrial region of NorthRhine Westphalia in Germany. The feasibility study will be completed this summer.

Uniper CEO Andreas Schierenbeck said that Maasvlakte is "the perfect place for large-scale production of green hydrogen. This is where everything comes together: large amounts of renewable energy, the required infrastructure, and industrial customers."

The port authority CEO Allard Castelein said that the plan fitted "perfectly" with its own strategy. "Green hydrogen is a sustainable alternative for natural gas to realise high temperatures. Besides, it is an important sustainable feedstock for the chemical industry."

The plant has prequalified for EU Important Projects of Common European Interest programme, Uniper said, and the conceptual design and the technical dimensions of the new hydrogen plant will be developed in the next few months. The project team is also looking at options for import, storage, and export at Maasvlakte.