His Majesty the King will perform the starting ceremony for the construction of the first part of the national hydrogen network on the Tweede Maasvlakte in Rotterdam on the afternoon of Friday 27Â October.
This national hydrogen network will connect major industrial clusters in the Netherlands with each other and with Germany and Belgium from 2030 onwards and will be realised by Gasunie subsidiary HyNetwork Services.
Minister Jetten for Climate and Energy will also be present during this ceremony. 
Hydrogen plays a crucial role in making the industry and transport sector more sustainable. One of the preconditions for the development of and hydrogen market is the infrastructure for transport and storage. By being the first European country to have its hydrogen infrastructure in place, the Netherlands can be an important hub for renewable energy.
The first part of the hydrogen network, a stretch of more than 30 kilometres, runs in Rotterdam from the Tweede Maasvlakte to Pernis, and is expected to be operational in 2025. The national network will eventually have a length of 1,200 kilometres and will largely consist of existing natural gas pipelines that will be reused. The network will have connections to large-scale hydrogen production facilities, import terminals in the seaports and companies in the Netherlands and abroad that will use hydrogen to become more sustainable.
The programme will include a speech by Gasunie CEO Han Fennema and Minister Jetten. There will also be a discussion between representatives from industry and civil society organisations on the importance of hydrogen. After the official launch, King Willem-Alexander will be given a tour of the construction site during which Gasunie employees will tell him about the special technique used to drill hydrogen pipelines. Afterwards, the King will speak to various stakeholders about making industry more sustainable, the role of hydrogen within a sustainable energy system, the transport of hydrogen and about import possibilities.
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