Shell’s flagship hydrogen project connects to Dutch network

Shell’s flagship hydrogen project, the 200MW Holland Hydrogen 1 plant, has officially been connected to the Netherlands’ hydrogen network. 

Gasunie subsidiary Hynetwork connected the plant, saying it is the first time a green hydrogen producer has been linked directly to the national hydrogen infrastructure.

The connection’s so-called ‘golden weld’ was made between the plant at Rotterdam Maasvlakte and the hydrogen pipeline. The connection work was performed by contractor Hanab.

Gasunie, a Dutch-German network operator, said the connection marks a milestone in the development of the hydrogen network interconnecting Dutch industry with its neighbours in other countries. This is a key condition, they add, for the decarbonisation of industry in the Netherlands and north-western Europe.

According to Shell, the project, one of Europe’s largest renewable hydrogen plants, will produce up to 80 tonnes of hydrogen per day and will be powered by offshore wind from the North Sea.

The connection, says Gasunie, follows the successful completion of the first 32km of hydrogen pipeline earlier this year, after filling it with green hydrogen and bringing it to the correct pressure. 

The hydrogen pipeline was constructed by Hynetwork and largely runs parallel to the A15, inside an existing energy corridor where other key infrastructure is also clustered, including the CO2 pipeline used for the Porthos project.

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Hydrogen networks

For Gasunie, this first connection represents a significant step forwards in the development of a national hydrogen network. The infrastructure will be further expanded over the coming years by adding new producers and consumers. 

Gasunie's aim is to build on this first connection in the port of Rotterdam and create a national and, ultimately, an international network connecting industrial clusters in north-western Europe. 

According to Dutch financial services firm Rabobank, hydrogen infrastructure development in the Netherlands is guided by ambitious plans to build a national backbone of roughly 1,200km, initially targeted for completion by 2030, which was later revised to 2033. The total investment is estimated at EUR 3.8bn, supported by EUR 750m in government subsidies.

This network is intended to connect six industrial clusters within the Netherlands and includes connections with Germany and Belgium, consisting largely of repurposed existing natural gas pipelines. 

Approximately 63% of the hydrogen network will consist of converted natural gas pipelines, while the remaining 37% will be newly constructed infrastructure.

According to Rabobank, existing operational hydrogen infrastructure in Europe is very limited to date and is concentrated in clusters in The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and France. 

The largest privately owned pipeline without third party access is owned by France’s Air Liquide, spanning some 1,000km across Rotterdam, Antwerpen, and Brussels.

Air Liquide also owns and operates hydrogen infrastructure in and around Essen, Germany, and in the vicinity of France’s chemical and petrochemical plants. Linde, a large German chemicals company, owns a 135km-hydrogen pipeline around Leuna, Germany. 

In 2022, Enlit media visited the Holland Hydrogen 1 plant. In an interview at the time, Randolf Weterings, Port of Rotterdam Electrification and Hydrogen Manager, said:  

“With this programme, we are focussed on renewable power and electrification in the port and we want to help the companies to decarbonise by ensuring all the elements are there.”

Watch the full video to learn how hydrogen from the project will support the decarbonisation of fuels production as well as being directed for heavy transport use.