Germany is moving even faster to replace the coal and oil that travel via the port of Rotterdam to North Rhine-Westphalia (the Ruhr) with renewable hydrogen in the current geopolitical climate.
To test the viability of a green hydrogen supply chain between Australia and Germany, HySupply developed a significant partnership in 2020. The largest port in Europe and the sole port supplying energy and fuels to Germany, the port of Rotterdam, participated in this study and had also started one on the specific supply chains of hydrogen from West Australia to Rotterdam as of 2021.
The development of a tri-lateral hydrogen hub, known as the TrHyHub, has recently been announced as the next step in this triangular partnership. It aims to support the establishment of a hydrogen hub for local use as well as expedite the export of hydrogen from the Oakajee Strategic Industrial Area (SIA) in Western Australia’s Mid-West region, which is home to some of the country’s best renewable energy resources and has the potential to grow into one of the largest hydrogen-producing regions. Additionally, it seeks to develop into a centre for international corporate prospects as well as joint scientific research.
The Mid-West Port Authority of Western Australia, the Port of Rotterdam, and Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) will collaborate on the study, bringing cutting-edge technological innovations that will help to speed up hydrogen production and exports to Europe before the end of this decade.
The objectives of the Joint Export Supply Chain Study are:
- Start the foundational research required for Oakajee to develop into a future industrial hydrogen port complex of international renown, supplying hydrogen and its derivatives for domestic use and export.
- To support Oakajee as the best place to create the largest hydrogen integrated port complex in the world, research the overall hydrogen production potential of the Midwest region.
- Examine the techno-economic viability of cutting-edge technological solutions that could quicken Mid-West exports to 2027.
- Send a clear message to advocates of WA hydrogen that North West Europe has a sizable market for offtake.
- Encourage Trinational Research & Development of technology connected to hydrogen.
- Establish a favorable environment for Australian and European hydrogen enterprises to invest in and expand.
The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), and the Western Australian Ministry for Hydrogen Industry all applaud the beginning of this collaborative study and the progress it has made toward realizing a future green hydrogen supply chain from West Australia to Germany and the Netherlands.
