- Damen Shipyards will develop a hydrogen ship
The initiative of Port of Den Helder, ENGIE, Damen Shipyards and various other parties to develop a hydrogen filling station for maritime and road transport in the Den Helder region is a step closer now that this project has been awarded a DKTI subsidy of almost 1.4 million euros.
The DKTI-Transport subsidy scheme gives substance to agreements from the Energy Agreement (2014), the Climate Agreement (from 2019) and the Sustainable Fuel Vision. The grant was awarded, among other things, because of the professional approach and the complex nature of the project. The main reasons are the follow-up potential and the added value with regard to the development of the hydrogen economy because the project covers the entire chain.
Two different hydrogen filling points will be realized in the area of the Kooyhaven in Den Helder. A filling point where passenger vehicles and trucks can refuel and a filling point at the Kooyhaven along the Noordhollandsch Kanaal where ships can bunker hydrogen. However, it does not stop at the realization of a gas station.
As part of the project, Damen Shipyards will develop a hydrogen ship that will be offered to a pool of potential users. The Port of Den Helder, among others, will use this ship. The aim is to have the solar park, electrolyser and gas station chain fully operational by 2021. The hydrogen-powered ship is expected to be ready by mid-2020.
The green hydrogen is not supplied, but is produced on location by electrolysis, stored and made available for shipping, freight traffic and passenger transport. To feed the electrolyser with green energy, ENGIE is going to realize a 2.6MWp solar park for this locally. The expected maximum capacity will be around 400 kg of green hydrogen. Pieter Blok, Sustainability Manager at ENGIE: “For successful hydrogen projects, collaboration in the chain is essential. With all the expertise that the various parties bring to the table, I am convinced that we will succeed in making this innovative station a success and accelerating the development of green hydrogen. ”
The hydrogen filling station can play an important role for emission-free shipping on the Wadden Sea. The consortium expects hydrogen to be an interesting option for other initiatives in Den Helder. For example, the activities of service ships, offshore suppliers and the transport of personnel to and from the Den Helder offshore installations could also be made more sustainable. But making the Royal Navy ships more sustainable is also made possible by the hydrogen filling station. This project is, therefore, an important building block in the hydrogen ambitions of the region, which are an important pillar in the recently presented proposals for a Regional Deal.
Interested maritime service providers can report to the Port of Den Helder if they want to test their user needs with the hydrogen ship. Jacoba Bolderheij, PoDH: “Once the filling stations have been installed, everyone in need of hydrogen is welcome!”
Source: Engie
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