Rotterdam: Driving the energy transition with action, not words

“Make it happen” is Rotterdam’s approach to the energy transition and once the city is able to solve some of the challenges, they will go international.

“Everyone is looking for solutions,” says Claudia Stolk, Business Manager of Rotterdam Partners, in explanation – and with Rotterdam having Europe’s biggest port and one of the biggest petrochemical clusters, “if there’s any place to be a direct participant in the energy transition, it’s where you need to be”.

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Randolf Weterings, Port of Rotterdam Electrification and Hydrogen manager, describes the port both with its import/export facilities and as a major user, as an “energy hub”.

And looking ahead with the potential of hydrogen to support large scale decarbonisation the Port also plans to become a hydrogen hub for Europe – “not only for Rotterdam or the Netherlands, but for northwestern Europe.”

Hydrogen hub

As the anchor of the hydrogen hub, Shell has started construction of what will be largest electrolyser in Europe. Alongside this, much other work is needed, says Lijs Groenendaal, Shell’s Hydrogen Business and Project Development manager, citing as examples a regulatory framework to enable investment and the customer base both in industry and among consumers.

“And then when the whole value chain is clear, the hydrogen economy will take off.”

While Shell’s electrolyser is due to come online only in 2025, the port’s decarbonisation and hydrogen development is already well under way, Maike Akkers, Programme Manager Energy Transition Infrastructure at the Port, indicates.

As an example, she mentions the hydrogen water taxi.

“[It] is a small example but people can see that [hydrogen] is happening and is possible and sometimes one has to stimulate the little developments to get enough trust for the larger ones.”

Preparing the grid

As the local energy utility, Stedin has a key role to play in the city’s – and the region’s – energy transition.

“Why do we do it? It’s not only about running a utility but also for the greater good in the fight for climate change,” says the utility’s chief transition officer, David Peters.

Arjen Jongepier, Innovation and Sustainability chief at Stedin, highlights its new ‘Building, building, building’ strategy to create a congestion-free grid by 2027.

“The intermittent character of the renewable sources is introducing a lot of new challenges in our electricity grid,” he says, pointing to the “inspiration” from the doomsayers “to create the solutions to make it happen”.

Tessa Hillen, Energy Transition Analyst at Stedin, adds that a unique aspect of Rotterdam in the energy transition is that the municipality but also the inhabitants are willing to cooperate in innovative projects – such as the utility’s green hydrogen pilot which has been running for almost a decade.

“Our goal was to show that hydrogen actually works and while one can do a lot of paper we wanted to put it into practice.

Collaboration for action

It is clear that Rotterdam in general and the Port in particular are advancing in the energy transition and the foundations are in place to continue.

Alexander van Steenderen, Strategic Policy Advisor Energy Transition at the municipality Gemeente Rotterdam says that for the first time all the layers of government are seriously working together to make the transition work.

Nevertheless, there is still much to be done and challenges to overcome.

For example, there is a need for funding and access to that funding for innovations, says Loek Becker Hoff, Senior Account Manager Energy & Circular at the regional economic development agency InnovationQuarter.

But the mood is positive and the enthusiasm infectious.

“In Rotterdam, we like to do it and not just talk about it,” says Lydia Hameeteman, Strategic Advisor Energy Transition in the City of Rotterdam.