Shell will soon launch its landmark renewable energy project, Holland Hydrogen 1, located on the reclaimed Maasvlakte 2 industrial zone in the Port of Rotterdam that will provide green hydrogen to a nearby energy and industrial complex to demonstrate the fuel’s ability to decarbonize heavy industry.
The estimated $1.17-billion project, set to be Europe’s largest renewable hydrogen plant, is nearly complete and has recently been connected by utility Gasunie to a 32-km hydrogen pipeline. The 200-MW plant has faced financial and market uncertainties, with project costs and timelines subject to ongoing assessment.
It received substantial support, including a reported $162-million subsidy from the European Commission. The project operates under the Important Project of Common European Interest framework, which allows for coordinated cross-border state assistance that would otherwise be restricted under standard EU competition laws.
Plant: 60K KG Daily Production Capacity
Operated by Shell subsidiary Rotterdam Hydrogen Company B.V., it has capacity to produce 60,000 kg of green hydrogen per day. Refining, petrochemicals, steel and other metals that are classified as hard-to-abate are the target for large scale projects such as this. These industries primarily use grey hydrogen, which is produced with natural gas in and emits carbon dioxide in the process.
Holland Hydrogen 1 is located on a nearly six-acre site that will house 10 rows of electrolyzers, each with a 20-MW alkaline electrolysis ‘Scalum’ stack produced by Thyssenkrupp Nucera.
Australia-based contractor Worley oversaw engineering, procurement and construction management to ensure the plant’s high-pressure systems and chemical handling facilities that use potassium hydroxide electrolytes to meet strict safety standards.
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Electricity for the plant will be generated at the 759-MW Hollandse Kust Noord offshore wind farm located 19 km off the northwest coast of the Netherlands that was developed by CrossWind, a joint venture between Shell and Eneco. With 69 turbines supplied by Siemens Gamesa, the facility will generate enough green energy to power 1 million Dutch homes.
Holland Hydrogen 1 is using modularization to manage current and future scale of the project. The 10 parallel alkaline electrolyzer modules are assembled in a separate building before being placed in the main plant by Mammoet, which has been contracted to transport and install the heavy components, including 165-ton transformers. By building a hydrogen plant of 200 MW—about 10 times the size of other such plants—Shell says it is achieving significant economies of scale.
The Scalum stacks will be supplied with a mix of high-purity demineralized water and potassium hydroxide electrolyte subjected to an electric current. Once separated, hydrogen will be sent to compressors and on to the pipeline, while oxygen will be released into the atmosphere. Initially hydrogen will go to the Shell refinery for use in the production of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, but in time, some will be available for commercial trucking. Eventually the plant will be scaled up to 400-MW.
Project Includes Pipeline and New Substation
Beside the new high-capacity pipeline built by Gasunie subsidiary Hynetwork, transmission system operator TenneT is constructing a dedicated high-voltage substation to power the site. The hydrogen pipeline will be used in the future by Gasunie and other hydrogen producers such as Air Liquide, which now is building its 200-MW ELYgator electrolyzer near Holland Hydrogen 1. It will produce 23,000 kg per day in the future.
To reach startup, the project had a number of regulatory and technical obstacles to overcome. There were questions among regulators about whether hydrogen produced with renewable energy would need to come from a new renewable source rather than taking clean power from the existing grid.
Shell had to navigate shifting rules to ensure Holland Hydrogen 1 output would be legally certified as green. It also had to initiate permitting for large-scale electrolysis in a port environment, setting safety and environmental benchmarks.
Holland Hydrogen 1 will serve as a key component of the continent’s Hydrogen Backbone, the planned hydrogen pipeline supply system that will run some 40,000 km throughout Europe by 2040 and serve to decarbonize the EU and provide energy security.
