Dutch and Brazilian Ports Form Green Hydrogen Partnership

May 15, 2023, by Adnan Memija

The Ports of Rotterdam and Brazil’s Pecém have signed a collaboration agreement on energy projects such as offshore wind and green hydrogen production.

The aim of this partnership is to strengthen bilateral cooperation and knowledge and promote public and private initiatives between the Netherlands and Brazil in port development, port logistics, hinterland connection, and port-related energy projects, including offshore wind and green hydrogen production, according to the press release.

The Port of Rotterdam plans to import renewable energy on a large scale for the European energy supply through green hydrogen.

The Port of Rotterdam Authority co-owns the Port of Pecém, which, as an industrial and logistics hub for northeast Brazil, offers opportunities for international trade flows and investment in Europe, said Port of Rotterdam.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Prime Minister Mark Rutte and the Dutch economic delegation at the port of Pecém as a part of his multi-day visit to Brazil. The declaration of intent was signed via a live video link between the World Port Center in Rotterdam and the Pecém Port Complex Integration Company, CIPP in Brazil, during the World Hydrogen Summit & Exhibition 2023 in Rotterdam.

There are already plans for a large-scale hydrogen plant to be built in the Port of Rotterdam.

The 200 MW electrolysis plant, developed by Shell, will use electricity produced by the 759 MW Hollandse Kust Noord offshore wind farm to produce green hydrogen. This plant will provide hydrogen for industry and the transport sector.

Another offshore wind developer that plans to combine green hydrogen technology with offshore wind is Vattenfall.

In July 2022, the company revealed that it plans to integrate a 45 MW hydrogen cluster into an offshore wind farm at the Hollandse Kust West VII area, with three turbines equipped with electrolyses.

The three turbines would accommodate containers, placed on special platforms and filled with electrolyser modules, transformers, and batteries.

The hydrogen produced by the cluster would be transported via a pipeline to the Port of Rotterdam and fed into the hydrogen network there.

In September last year, the Dutch Government set a target of 70 GW of offshore wind until 2050, based on the assumption that 50 GW could be installed by 2040. In addition to electricity generation, the Government also plans for some of the country’s offshore wind capacity to be used for large-scale green hydrogen production in the North Sea.