Parties sign a letter of intent to investigate the feasibility of the project
The arrival of a blue hydrogen plant in Den Helder is a step closer. An investigation is underway to determine its feasibility.Â
The authorities and market parties involved have agreed on this in a Blue Hydrogen Den Helder Agreement of Intent. Blue hydrogen is a cleaner source of energy because the CO2 released during production is captured and stored.
A large number of parties recently signed an agreement to investigate the large-scale production of Blue hydrogen in Den Helder. In this way, Noord-Holland Noord is responding to cabinet policy. The Cabinet recently sent the Cabinet Vision on Hydrogen and the Green Gas Roadmap to the House of Representatives. The Lower House Committee for Economic Affairs and Climate (EZK) will soon have a discussion with the cabinet about both documents.
Letter of intent has been signedÂ
This letter of intent has been signed by the NAM, Gasunie, GasTerra, Port of Den Helder, North Holland Development Company, Den Helder Municipality, North Holland Province and New Energy Coalition. The parties have agreed to conduct an initial exploration into the feasibility of constructing a large-scale hydrogen plant in Den Helder.
In the Environmental Vision of the province of North Holland, Den Helder is positioned as an important driver of the energy transition. Edward Stigter, Deputy for Climate and Energy: ” North Holland is in the middle of the energy transition. That is a gigantic operation for the whole of the Netherlands. We need to get our energy in a different way to achieve climate goals. I am happy that we will look at these various parties at the feasibility of a blue hydrogen plant in Den Helder. It is also a good example of the opportunities that the energy transition offers. ”
An important role for ports
The ports of Amsterdam, Groningen and Den Helder have an important role to play in bringing green energy ashore from the offshore wind farms. Hydrogen will play a major role in this. In order to reinforce this future task, these three ports have entered into a partnership under the name Hydroports. The Hydroports have the ambition to contribute to optimizing the infrastructure for the future hydrogen economy. The development of a blue hydrogen production facility in Den Helder is of strategic importance.
Alderman Kees Visser: “The production of blue hydrogen in Den Helder offers many economic opportunities and employment for the North Holland North region. The region will also be able to contribute even better to achieve the climate objectives, the more so when Den Helder will eventually also play an important role in the transit of the green hydrogen that will be produced by offshore wind farms. A recent study by ECN part of TNO has recently confirmed the importance of Den Helder as a link for the energy transition. ”
Roll of blue hydrogen in the energy transition
Hydrogen is ideally suited to achieve objectives related to the Dutch energy transition. As an energy carrier, it will make an important contribution to achieving climate goals. The hydrogen gas can be produced with green energy from the (large) offshore wind farms that will be built in the coming decades. But even now hydrogen can be produced from natural gas. This process releases CO2, which can be captured during production and stored in the empty gas fields of the North Sea. This prevents the CO2 from being released into the atmosphere. Hydrogen produced in this way is climate-neutral and is called blue hydrogen. Den Helder has a good position for blue hydrogen production due to the availability of existing gas infrastructure for the transport of hydrogen.
About NHN Development
Company helps entrepreneurs with their investments in the region, attracts new companies by focusing on marketing and acquisition and contributes to a further improvement of the business climate. Energy transition is one of NHN’s spearheads.
About NAM
NAM is an innovative company that has been providing energy to society and industry for more than 70 years. We do this by tracing, developing and producing oil and natural gas from fields on land and sea. NAM also uses its knowledge, expertise and existing infrastructure to accelerate the energy transition and thus contribute to a CO2-neutral future.
About Gasunie
is the government company that takes care of the transport of (natural) gas. Gasunie’s network consists of more than 15,500 kilometers of pipelines in the Netherlands and Germany, connections to national and international pipeline systems and hundreds of installations. Under the Gas Act, Gasunie is permitted to construct and manage hydrogen infrastructure, but not to produce, supply or trade hydrogen.
About GasTerra
GasTerra is a wholesaler in natural gas and sells natural gas and green gas to energy companies, industries and other large consumers. Energy transition has always been a core part of GasTerra’s business strategy and has (partly) enabled various projects in this area over the years. GasTerra supports the development of an infrastructure and market for sustainable hydrogen.
About Port of Den Helder
contributes to the economic capacity of the region and is responsible for the management, maintenance, operation and development of the civil part of the port. The port authority facilitates, stimulates and coordinates new activities, investments and developments in and around the port, offering scope for companies’ ambitions. The port’s development strategy focuses on making a contribution to the energy transition, both by providing maintenance to offshore wind farms and by producing and implementing sustainable energy to the national or Western European energy system.
About New Energy Coalition
is a knowledge and network organization. NEC is looking for workable solutions for energy issues. NEC considers the entire chain from generation to use in conjunction.
The municipality of Den Helder
has the ambition to become an energy-neutral municipality in 2040. Den Helder already has an offshore industry, focused on oil and gas and sees opportunities for the city and the port through the energy transition in the North Sea
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