Together with exporting nations, the port of Rotterdam and the cluster of businesses located here will be able to supply Northwest Europe with 4.6 million tonnes of hydrogen per year by 2030. This is significantly more than anticipated.
The usage of 4.6 million tonnes of hydrogen reduces CO2 emissions by 46 million tonnes, hence enhancing Europe’s energy independence. This is the total amount of hydrogen that the Port of Rotterdam Authority has calculated based on specific projects and realistic plans that firms and exporting nations are now implementing.
The Port of Rotterdam Authority made this offer to European commissioner Frans Timmermans on behalf of over seventy exporting enterprises and nations, in an effort to get the hydrogen economy off to a flying start. The plans and projects offer a real manifestation of the increased European ambition: within the framework of REPowerEU, a fourfold increase in the production and import of hydrogen is envisioned compared to the ‘Fit for 55’ package (from 5.6Mt to 20Mt). This hydrogen might then be used to ensure the sustainability of society, especially as a fuel and raw material for transportation and industry.
“Using sustainable hydrogen substantially contributes to the European objectives of reducing climate change and increasing Europe’s energy independence. With the production and import of renewable and low carbon hydrogen we build a sustainable future,” says Allard Castelein, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority.
According to the seventy parties that support the proposal, two prerequisites are necessary to launch the hydrogen economy. The first is the certification of hydrogen: green hydrogen imported from outside Europe must be verified as green in Europe. The second prerequisite is the closure of the pricing gap between the usage of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen and its derivatives and their existing CO2-emitting alternatives. This is due to the fact that as long as energy derived from fossil fuels is less expensive than energy produced responsibly, the latter will lack the momentum necessary to achieve the European objectives.
Hydrogen is a substitute for petroleum and natural gas as a source of energy and a raw material. Numerous businesses are working on projects to create hydrogen in Northwest Europe using renewable energy or in places with greater sunlight, wind, and space. Globally, countries are preparing for these new energy flows. Hydrogen produced in Latin America or Australia, for example, may be efficiently and in huge quantities delivered to Rotterdam, processed there, and then transported to the interior.
