Shell is preparing to start the construction of Holland Hydrogen I, which is set to be the largest renewable hydrogen plant in Europe.
Shell Nederland B.V. and Shell Overseas Investments B.V., both subsidiaries of Shell plc, have taken the final investment decision to develop Holland Hydrogen I, which will be Europe’s biggest renewable hydrogen plant once it is operational in 2025.
Building a renewable hydrogen plant
The 200MW electrolyser will be built on the Tweede Maasvlakte, which is located in the port of Rotterdam, and is anticipated to generate up to 60,000 kilograms of renewable hydrogen every day.
Meanwhile, the electrolyser’s renewable power will originate from the offshore wind farm Hollandse Kust (noord), which is already partially owned by Shell.
The renewable hydrogen generated will deliver energy to the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rotterdam via the HyTransPort pipeline1, where it is intended as a substitute for some of the grey hydrogen usage in the refinery. This will play a role in helping to decarbonise the facility’s manufacture of energy products such as petrol and diesel and jet fuel. As heavy-duty trucks are coming to market and refuelling networks are expanding, renewable hydrogen supply can be turned toward these areas to assist in decarbonising commercial road transport.
Meeting the word’s demand for clean energy
“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,” explained 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.”
Shell’s objective is to contribute to the development of a global hydrogen economy by creating opportunities in the production, storage, transport, and delivery of hydrogen to end customers. Holland Hydrogen I’s approval indicates a significant landmark towards attaining this goal, not only for the Netherlands, as a leader in the hydrogen economy, but also for Shell globally.
Shell: developing a global hydrogen economy
Shell currently owns and manages approximately 10% of the global capacity of installed hydrogen electrolysers, including a 20 MW electrolyser in China and a 10 MW proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyser in Germany. They can generate, respectively, 3,000 tonnes and 1,300 tonnes of hydrogen a year.
Shell is operating a number of low-carbon hydrogen production projects with potential capacity of over 950 ktpa (Shell share).
With Holland Hydrogen I, Shell intends to generate hydrogen using electricity that has been produced by the offshore wind park Hollandse Kust Noord.
