Air Liquide takes final investment decision on Dutch hydrogen project

Gas technology firm Air Liquide has announced the final investment decision to launch the construction of a 200MW electrolyser project in Maasvlakte in the Port of Rotterdam.

Air Liquide will invest more than €500 million ($586 million) to build, own and operate the ELYgator electrolyser, which will produce 23,000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually.

The project will serve to decarbonise the industrial hub, reducing up to 300,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions per year of operation.

This electrolyser is unique in that it integrates both Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) and Alkaline technologies on the same site. Air Liquide will use power from the OranjeWind and Hollandse Kust Zuid (HKZ) wind farms off the Dutch coast to produce the hydrogen, which will be used mainly for the TotalEnergies refinery.

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The project aims to be operational by the end of 2027.

Emilie Mouren-Renouard, Group Executive Committee member, notably in charge of supervising activities in Europe, commented in a press release: “We firmly believe that robust, large-scale initiatives like ELYgator will deliver a real impact for the European industry and heavy-duty mobility sectors.

"We welcome the support from the Dutch Government, which has been instrumental in our decision to move forward with this significant decarbonization project."

The project has received support from the Dutch government through the OWE subsidy scheme, as well as from the European Innovation Fund and the Dutch IPCEI programme, all of which were key to advancing to this decision, states Air Liquide.

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The Port of Rotterdam's decarbonisation mission

According to the Atlantic Council, in 2020, the Port emitted 22.4 million tonnes of CO2, accounting for nearly 16% of all CO2 emissions in the Netherlands. It's Europe’s largest port and features hundreds of facilities, including port operations, and industrial applications such as refining.

This makes decarbonisation a core priority for the Port, which aims to decrease CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990, which equals a CO2 reduction of 9.3 Mtonne by 2030.

One of the core pillars of the Port's decarbonisation strategy is hydrogen.

The Port is currently developing a hydrogen system that combines production and industrial use, as well as the import and transit of hydrogen to other parts of Northwest Europe.

ELYgator is one of 12 hydrogen projects being developed at the Port of Rotterdam.

Other projects include Porthos, which will provide CO2 transport and storage under the North Sea, as well as Fertiglobe, which will facilitate the delivery of green ammonia for the EU via Rotterdam.