From 2030, the national hydrogen network, with an estimated construction cost of around 1.5 billion euros, will link the major industrial areas in the Netherlands to one another, as well as to Germany and Belgium. The Dutch government commissioned Gasunie last year to develop this hydrogen network.
The first section of the hydrogen network, a stretch of over 30 kilometres, will be built in Rotterdam and will connect the Tweede Maasvlakte industrial park to Pernis. It is expected to be operational in 2025. The national network will ultimately span 1,200 kilometres and consist largely of repurposed existing natural gas pipelines. The network will be linked to large-scale hydrogen production facilities, import terminals at seaports, and companies in the Netherlands and abroad that will be switching to hydrogen to make their operations more sustainable.
Han Fennema, CEO of Gasunie, commented: “Today marks the start of construction of the Dutch hydrogen network, and this fill us with great pride. It is a new milestone in the transition to a more sustainable energy supply in the Netherlands and north-western Europe. I would like to thank all our partners for making this possible. Thanks to the boundless efforts of everyone involved, we can start building here today.”
Rob Jetten, the Dutch Minister for Climate and Energy Policy, added: “The start of construction of the hydrogen network today is an important milestone. The Netherlands has high hydrogen ambitions: hydrogen is an ideal solution for making our industry more sustainable and offers economic opportunities for the Netherlands as a key hub in north-western Europe. This national network is essential for achieving those ambitions, and I am proud that we are the first country to start building a national network.”
