Shell to Start Building Europe’s Largest Offshore Wind-to-Hydrogen Plant in Netherlands (Video)

Shell Nederland and Shell Overseas Investments, both subsidiaries of Shell, have taken the Final Investment Decision (FID) to build Holland Hydrogen I, which is said to be Europe’s largest renewable hydrogen plant once operational in 2025.

The 200 MW Holland Hydrogen I electrolysis plant will be constructed on the Tweede Maasvlakte in the port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and will produce up to 60,000 kilograms of renewable hydrogen per day, Shell said.

The hydrogen production will be powered with electricity coming from the 759 MW Hollandse Kust Noord offshore wind farm, which is being developed by the CrossWind consortium of Shell and Eneco and is scheduled to be put into operation next year.

The hydrogen is planned to be transported through the HyTransPort pipeline, which will form a part of the Netherlands hydrogen infrastructure, with a length of about 40 kilometres that will run from the plant to Shell’s Energy and Chemicals Park Rotterdam, where it will replace some of the grey hydrogen usage in the refinery. 

This could partially decarbonise the facility’s production of energy products like petrol, diesel, and jet fuel. As heavy-duty trucks are coming to market and refuelling networks grow, renewable hydrogen supply can also be directed toward these to help in decarbonising commercial road transport, Shell said.

“Holland Hydrogen I demonstrates how new energy solutions can work together to meet society’s need for cleaner energy. It is also another example of Shell’s own efforts and commitment to become a net-zero emissions business by 2050“, said Anna Mascolo, executive vice president, Emerging Energy Solutions at Shell.

“Renewable hydrogen will play a pivotal role in the energy system of the future and this project is an important step in helping hydrogen fulfil that potential”.

Thyssenkrupp Chlorine Engineers is responsible for the engineering, procurement, and fabrication of the Holland Hydrogen I plant that will be based on their large-scale 20 MW alkaline water electrolysis module.

Shell says its ambition is to help build a global hydrogen economy by developing opportunities in the production, storage, transport, and delivery of hydrogen to end customers.

Holland Hydrogen I’s approval marks an important milestone on that journey not only for the Netherlands, but also for Shell globally, the company said.

Shell and Eneco also recently announced that they are participating in the offshore wind tenders for the Hollandse Kust West Sites VI and VII through which they plan to invest in green energy and hydrogen.

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