Cooperation Uniper and Port of Rotterdam Authority in Production Green Hydrogen

(Uniper) Energy company Uniper and the Port of Rotterdam Authority have entered into an agreement for developing the production of green hydrogen at the Uniper location on Maasvlakte. These plans build on the findings of a recent feasibility study and are in line with the new hydrogen infrastructure that has been planned and the growing demand for sustainable hydrogen from the Rotterdam petrochemical industry. This agreement has been laid down in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) and is a major milestone in the further development of the hydrogen value chain in the Rijnmond region. No less than half of all Dutch IPCEI* hydrogen projects are developed in Rotterdam. This Uniper project is on the Dutch IPCEI shortlist as well.

The recently completed joint feasibility study shows that the Uniper location on Maasvlakte is ideally suitable for large-scale production of green hydrogen with the use of power generated by North Sea wind farms. The Uniper hydrogen plant is to be connected to the HyTransport.RTM pipeline that runs through the Port of Rotterdam. The pipeline also connects the Uniper plant to the national hydrogen infrastructure and the Delta Corridor pipeline bundle. The latter project is intended for delivering hydrogen to chemical clusters in Moerdijk and Geleen (Chemelot) and farther away in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Towards carbon neutrality
Hydrogen is currently produced from natural gas, the co-called grey hydrogen, resulting in CO₂ emissions that amount to 19 million tonnes in the Netherlands. Industry in the Rotterdam area annually consumes about 77PJ of hydrogen (roughly 40% of the total hydrogen consumption in the Netherlands). The transition from grey hydrogen to sustainable green hydrogen in the Rotterdam industry for producing cleaner fuels and as a raw material in the chemical sector is a major step towards carbon neutrality. In combination with importing sustainable hydrogen, sufficient storage capacity, and a national and international hydrogen transport network this may lead to phasing out the production of grey hydrogen altogether.

The next key step in the Uniper project is the FEED (front-end engineering & design) study. This nine-month study is currently being contracted out and should yield in-depth findings for the conceptual design of the electrolysis installation (100MW initially and with a future capacity increase to 500MW), the project planning, and a realistic budget. With the help of these findings the first phase of this unique electrolysis plant can be outsourced to a number of specialist suppliers and contractors.

Soon, the first efforts will be made to apply for the permits needed, to seek (financial) support from various authorities, to enter into agreements with the relevant partners involved in the value chain, and to prepare an investment decision in 2022.

Major link in the new European hydrogen value chain
“We have the strong ambition to convert our Maasvlakte location into a major link in the new European hydrogen value chain in close collaboration with the Port of Rotterdam Authority and other partners,” says Axel Wietfeld, CEO of Uniper Hydrogen. “There is a host of opportunities, not only for Uniper but also for other players in the chain. Together we can use sustainable hydrogen to reduce CO₂ levels in Rotterdam significantly.”

The Port of Rotterdam is an energy hub for Western Europe. Today, about 13 percent of the European energy supply enters the European Union via Rotterdam. The port has the ambition to be carbon neutral by 2050 while retaining its central role in the European energy system. By then, according to expectations of the Port Authority, approximately 20 million tonnes of hydrogen will flow through the port to consumers in the Netherlands and beyond.

Excerpt from Argus Media: German energy firm Uniper and consortium partners have secured funding from the UK government to produce hydrogen at the port of Immingham by 2025.

Uniper won the funding from the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) along with Associated British Ports, energy technology company Siemens Energy, and the trading arm of Toyota Group, Toyota Tsusho.

Project Mayflower is a 20MW green hydrogen production facility. Hydrogen from the site will be used to replace the use of fossil fuels at the port or be used in producing hydrogen-based marine fuels like ammonia.

Hydrogen-based fuels have been backed by the World Bank and the IEA as promising marine fuels to decarbonise shipping.

The electrolyser will be developed by Siemens Energy and is probably going to be a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM). PEM is a newer technology and offers more flexibility than older alkaline electrolysers, but is more expensive.

The facility could source renewable electricity nearby from Uniper's Killingholme power station, Uniper said. Toyota Tsusho will assess how to upgrade port infrastructure for hydrogen.

The port of Immingham is the biggest in the UK by tonnage and a hub for road, rail and sea transport, making it a good location for the hydrogen facility. READ MORE