Shell is the first company to sign a HyTransPortRTM agreement. This is the hydrogen pipeline that Gasunie is laying in the Rotterdam port, from the Maasvlakte to Pernis, in collaboration with the Port of Rotterdam Authority, in order to make the port’s industry more sustainable.
Fuels and raw materials that emit CO2 during production or use must be replaced with hydrogen, which is a fossil-free alternative. The pipeline’s first customer is Shell. Shell’s Holland Hydrogen I electrolyser, which will be built at the Maasvlakte’s Conversion Park, will be connected to the pipeline. The HyTransPortRTM pipeline transports hydrogen from the conversion park to Pernis. The hydrogen pipeline will be operational by the end of 2024 or the beginning of 2025. The pipeline will eventually be linked to both the national and international hydrogen networks.
Shell will make the final investment decision for the Holland Hydrogen I electrolyser on the Second Maasvlakte in the first half of 2022. Around that time, the final investment decision for the HyTransPortRTM hydrogen pipeline will be made.
HyTransPortRTM
The hydrogen pipeline will be built over a 32-kilometer route. The pipe will be 24 inches in diameter (61cm). The transition from CO2-emitting fossil fuels and raw materials to CO2-free hydrogen should result in a significant reduction in CO2 emissions. Hydrogen is used as a raw material for chemical products and as an energy carrier for industrial processes where electrification cannot meet the requirements, such as high temperature processes in the petrochemical industry. ‘As part of the future energy mix, sustainable hydrogen will play an important role in reducing CO2 emissions in industry,’ says Helmie Botter, Gasunie’s hydrogen business development manager.
This first phase of the transportation pipeline is important for the Netherlands and Northwest Europe to have a sustainable hydrogen economy. HyTransPortRTM will eventually be linked to the national and international hydrogen transportation systems.
The number of hydrogen-related initiatives in Rotterdam’s port is increasing. On the Maasvlakte, space has been set aside for a conversion park where hydrogen can be produced for Rotterdam’s port. Various parties are also working on green hydrogen import plans. Hydrogen can be safely and efficiently transported between producers, users, and suppliers using the HyTransPortRTM pipeline.
