Shell first customer hydrogen pipeline Rotterdam port, The Netherlands

Shell is the first company to sign an agreement to use HyTransPortRTM. This is the hydrogen pipeline in the port of Rotterdam that Gasunie is laying in collaboration with the Port of Rotterdam Authority from the Maasvlakte to Pernis in order to make the industry in the port more sustainable. Hydrogen must become the fossil-free replacement for fuels and raw materials where CO2 is released during production or use. Shell becomes the pipeline’s first customer. Holland Hydrogen I, the electrolyser that Shell is going to build at the Conversion Park on the Maasvlakte, will be connected to the pipeline. The hydrogen is transported from the conversion park to Pernis via the HyTransPortRTM pipeline. The hydrogen pipeline will be in use at the end of 2024, early 2025. In time, the pipeline will be connected to the national and international hydrogen network.

Milestone in making the port of Rotterdam sustainable

“The contract with Shell is an important step. Shell has great ambitions in the field of hydrogen. Infrastructure such as HyTransPort is crucial for the hydrogen economy in the port of Rotterdam to get off the ground. This is a clear sign that steps are being taken to make the port of Rotterdam more sustainable,” said Jeroen Steens, Director Commercial Delivery at the Port of Rotterdam Authority.

In the first half of 2022, Shell will take the final investment decision for the Holland Hydrogen I electrolyser on the Second Maasvlakte. The final investment decision for the HyTransPortRTM hydrogen pipeline will then also be taken around that time.

HyTransPortRTM

The hydrogen pipeline will be laid over a route of 32 kilometers. The pipe will have a diameter of 24 inches (61cm). The switch from fossil fuels and raw materials to CO2-free hydrogen should result in a first significant reduction in CO2 emissions. Hydrogen is used, among other things, as an energy carrier for industrial processes where electrification cannot meet the requirements, such as high temperature processes in the petrochemical industry, and as a raw material for chemical products. “As part of the future energy mix, sustainable hydrogen will make an important contribution to reducing CO2 emissions in industry,” says Helmie Botter, Business Development manager for hydrogen at Gasunie.

This first phase of the transport pipeline is an important link for the sustainable hydrogen economy in the Netherlands and Northwest Europe. In time, HyTransPortRTM will connect to the national and international hydrogen transport system.

The number of hydrogen initiatives in the port of Rotterdam is growing. Space has been planned for a conversion park on the Maasvlakte, where hydrogen can be produced for the port of Rotterdam. Various parties are also developing plans for the import of green hydrogen. Through the pipeline of HyTransPortRTM, the hydrogen can be transported between producers, users and suppliers in a safe and efficient manner.

Electrolyser Shell

With the construction of a 200 MW hydrogen factory Shell Hydrogen Holland I on Maasvlakte 2 near Rotterdam, green hydrogen will be produced for industry and transport using electricity from the Hollandse Kust (North) offshore wind farm. “Nobody in the world has done this on this scale yet,” said Lijs Groenendaal, general manager of the project. Shell will make a final investment decision in the first half of 2022 for the construction of the electrolyser, which must be ready by the end of 2024.

The design of the electrolyser is by Kraaijvanger Architects and is completely circular.