The tour focused on the future of hydrogen in the Netherlands and on the possible opportunities and challenges related to the system integration of this clean fuel. To gain a better understanding of the requirements for a system wide integration of hydrogen, we visited organizations that will be, and maybe already are somewhat, at the core of the production, transportation and consumption of hydrogen.
The tour started in the Eemshaven, where we received an introduction from Groningen Seaports. Here, is where the NorthH2 program is based, a project being funded by Shell, Equinor, RWE and Eneco. This is planned to be one of the largest production facility of hydrogen in Europe. One of the reasons the Eemshaven is chosen to be the location for this hydrogen project is that a large portion of the offshore wind will land at this location. It is therefore expected that Eemshaven will become an important hub for the future production of hydrogen, not only for the Netherlands but likely also for neighbouring countries.
After our exploration of all the existing energy infrastructure in the port, we travelled to Gasunie’s headquarters in Groningen. Here, we learned about the infrastructure needed to support the hydrogen grid in the Netherlands and about the 5 salt caverns that are currently under construction in Zuidwending. These salt caverns are being built to store methane. However, in the future they could be repurposed to store hydrogen. We even got a chance to stand inside a virtual salt cavern, this was a very cool experience!
Lastly, we visited Qbuzz. Qbuzz is making an active effort to electrify their bus fleet to meet climate targets. However, to explore alternatives, they also explored the feasibility of the implementation of hydrogen in their bus fleet. They currently have two hydrogen buses that are being used to transport passengers in Groningen! These busses are being powered by green certified hydrogen provided by Shell which is partially being subsidized by OV bureau.
On this trip we saw how complex the integration of hydrogen is into the current supply chain. The need for early commitments, dependency and large investments seems to be whats currently holding back the implementation of hydrogen. However, the existing Hydrogen Valley in Groningen shows that the implementation is feasible.