The port of Rotterdam is quickly affected by global changes. This is why I enjoy this field so much: the dynamics, the capability for as well as the demand for rapid adaptation, you can practically feel it.
The world around us is likewise in full swing at the moment. In Rotterdam, the importance of being less reliant on a single country’s gas imports and Europe’s sustainable objectives collide. Suddenly, the green hydrogen economy is no longer a distant possibility, but a vital reality. This sense of urgency requires us all – industry and government alike – to work more rapidly, more ambitiously, and with greater audacity. Otherwise, we will be absorbed by the world.
As a Rotterdam alderman and member of the province of Zuid-Provincial Holland’s Executive, I have been involved with the Rotterdam Port area for nearly 12 years. If you follow the port from the city to the Maasvlakte, you will notice that the historical line is building. Developments occur in rapid succession, and the port has repeatedly adapted to changing conditions: shifting trade flows between continents, the transition from bulk products to containers, the creation of ever huge ships, automation, and digitization. And now comes the crucial stage of establishing new sustainable businesses.
We are currently on the verge of transitioning to a Green Hydrogen economy. Rotterdam’s port has a role to play in this. We have the knowledge, companies, and infrastructure in place to play a significant role in Europe’s green hydrogen production, storage, and transportation.
It is reassuring to observe that the port area’s industry is actively engaged in the energy transition. They are rising to the occasion, for example, through investments in hydrogen. However, if we want Rotterdam to develop into the ideal water hub for Europe, we as governments must invest in the necessary preconditions: a strong hydrogen infrastructure with connections to the hinterland (such as Limburg, Chemelot, North Rhine Westphalia, and the Ruhr region), regional and national collaboration, demand development, import facilitation, and financial means for knowledge and development. And we must ensure that there is room for development, both literally and in terms of regulatory possibilities.
As I previously stated, the faster the globe evolves, the faster the port of Rotterdam must adapt. Fortunately, we see that businesses are also taking ownership of this. As municipal, national, and European governments, we must therefore be willing to move at the same pace as global events. Europe no longer desires gas, and in Rotterdam, environment and geopolitics collide. A necessary requirement is that this transition is possible. Because there is no nitrogen space available to make this change precisely where we can earn the maximum profit. As such, we also need the government’s assistance on the nitrogen issue. It is critical for the government to reserve nitrogen space to facilitate the changeover. Precisely at this moment of rapid development. In summary, let us as governments work together to accelerate the transition to a green nitrogen economy.
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