A collaboration agreement has been reached between Gasunie and Vopak. The goal is to collaborate on future terminal infrastructure improvements that will make it easier for hydrogen to be imported into Northwest Europe through Dutch and German ports. Both parties have been cooperating on the Gate LNG facility in the Port of Rotterdam, which opened in 2011.
Along with local hydrogen generation, large-scale green hydrogen imports will be required to meet the European Green Deal and Fit for 55 commitments. Import initiatives are moving quickly, with the first import streams expected in Germany and the Netherlands by 2025. To support the import of green hydrogen necessary for the energy and feedstock transformation, global supply networks and logistical infrastructure must be built and operated.
Import projects for hydrogen using green ammonia, liquid organic hydrogen carriers, and liquid hydrogen technologies are included in the partnership agreement. High-quality infrastructure and procedures are required to safely and reliably handle products such as hydrogen and ammonia. Vopak and Gasunie will focus on creating import infrastructure connected to storage, which will allow for further distribution of hydrogen to end consumers (e.g., through the pipeline, boats, road, and rail) while also contributing to supply security in Northwest Europe. Both parties have extensive experience creating infrastructure as well as securely storing and handling these materials.
Gasunie and Vopak will focus completely on the development and safe and reliable operation of open-access infrastructure as separate infrastructure firms. From a cost and environmental standpoint, open access logistics infrastructure that is available to all market participants is the most efficient. It has the potential to speed up the import and usage of green energy in a variety of end sectors. On April 11, 2022, Gasunie, Vopak, and HES International announced a collaboration to build the ACE Facility, a hydrogen carrier import terminal in the port of Rotterdam.
“With this arrangement, Vopak and Gasunie continue their many years of fruitful cooperation,” says Ulco Vermeulen, Director Business Development Gasunie. Hydrogen is a critical component of the future’s sustainable energy mix. Our shared objective is to provide the essential import infrastructure to allow the worldwide hydrogen value chain. We already serve as a connecting point for the energy transition in several public-private partnerships in the Netherlands as a renewable energy infrastructure firm. Vopak and Gasunie will be able to participate in the worldwide hydrogen value chain by transporting, storing, and importing hydrogen as a result of this arrangement.”
“We are thrilled to extend our relationship with Gasunie beyond our successful Gate LNG terminal operations in the Port of Rotterdam and together construct important infrastructure supporting the energy transformation,” says Frits Eulderink, Executive Board Member and COO of Royal Vopak. We’re excited to collaborate with Gasunie on the creation of new infrastructure for important items in the future.”
