On Thursday 21 October, Dutch TV-programme Nieuwsuur dedicated an item to the hydrogen developments in the Netherlands in general and the relationship between politics, government and companies in particular.
Ulco Vermeulen spoke on behalf of Gasunie’s Executive Board in the item.
In his contribution, Ulco Vermeulen emphasised the importance of a political debate on the interpretation of the hydrogen ambitions in the Netherlands: “These are very important discussions for the Netherlands and for Dutch politics to think about.” It will enable fundamental concerns to be properly adressed: “Start the debate. Get going. Come to decisions. And then we will all get to work to make the hydrogen economy a reality. With a social importance such as with the development of hydrogen, these are precisely matters to discuss beforehand, because commercial companies work fundamentally differently and also account for their activities differently, Vermeulen says: “We must ensure that we as the Netherlands keep a sufficient grip on it. There is tension on this. That will be clear.”
The Nieuwsuur item was built around the NortH2 project, in which Gasunie is working with Shell, RWE, Equinor, Groningen Sea Ports and the province of Groningen. The project is important because of its contribution to the required chain development and scale size of the future hydrogen economy in the Netherlands. NortH2 is currently in the development phase: no final investment or policy decisions have yet been made.
We see this as an illustrative project of which more can be expected in the Netherlands in due course. It therefore offers a good opportunity to map out the conditions for shaping the production and transport of hydrogen in the Netherlands. The energy transition requires effort and considerable investment from both government and industry. This will also apply to the realisation of NortH2.
The ultimate goal for Gasunie is to work together and transparently with all the parties involved – whether they are government organisations or companies: “We are doing it together. Our task is to ensure that this hydrogen economy can come about in the Netherlands.” For projects that contribute to this, such as NortH2, a policy framework is needed, within which it is possible to work competitively and in which public objectives are safeguarded. Together with the partners in NortH2 Gasunie is working to achieve this, so that NortH2 can be realised as a project for the upscaling of the entire hydrogen chain and thus contribute to energy transition.
More information about NortH2 can be found on the project website.
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