The Port of Amsterdam has signed an agreement with Tata Steel and manufacturing firm Nouryon to build Europe’s largest green hydrogen cluster.
According to a statement, the three partners consider green hydrogen as vital in the effort to cutting emissions and reaching climate change targets.
The project is also seen as an opportunity to build a more circular economy – a regenerative system in which resource inputting, emission outputting and waste are minimised by slowing, therefore closing energy and material loops.
The first step of the project will be to study the feasibility of a 100 megawatt water electrolysis facility to produce up to 15,000 tons of hydrogen per year.
This will take place at Tata Steel’s Ijmuiden site, near Amsterdam. It is expected to result in a carbon saving of up to 350,000 tons of CO2 per year, equivalent to the emissions of more than 40,000 households.
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Throughout, Nouryon will operate the facility, while Tata Steel will use the oxygen to enhance the sustainability of its production processes. After that, the parties will jointly explore different routes to use hydrogen for turning steel mill emissions into useful chemicals and products.
The port will focus on the infrastructure for further distribution of green hydrogen, which will be the basis for the development of new industries and zero-emission transport in Amsterdam.
Speaking about the agreement, Koen Overtoom, CEO, Port of Amsterdam, said: “Large-scale production of green hydrogen, fuelled by offshore wind, will enable the Amsterdam-North Sea canal region to make a leap forward towards a climate neutral circular industry.
“It will support our ambition towards synthetic fuels and synthetic kerosene and emission-free mobility.”
Hans Fischer, CEO, Tata Steel Europe, said: “Tata Steel is a strong supporter of hydrogen as a facilitator of the energy transition.
“This project could be a stepping stone to make large quantities of affordable hydrogen available in the future to enable us to become a CO2 neutral steel producer.”
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