Wednesday 26 June, King Willem-Alexander opened Gasunie’s HyStock green hydrogen plant in Veendam, near Groningen.
This plant is the first step in creating the hydrogen supply chain of the future, which will see green energy converted, stored and transported to customers. It is also a key, specific measure that will help make the Netherlands sustainable and carbon-neutral. During his visit, the King saw various uses of hydrogen in the manufacturing and mobility sectors.
The HyStock hydrogen installation converts 1 Megawatt of sustainable electricity into green hydrogen and is therefore the first to apply this process on a serious scale. The objective of Gasunie is to store the hydrogen on a large-scale and economically profitable basis in underground gas storages of Gasunie’s EnergyStock in the near future. It can thus be used as a renewable energy source, even at times when solar and wind energy are not available.
Because hydrogen can be easily and reliably and affordably transported and stored in large quantities, it can play a major role as a clean energy carrier for industry, mobility and the built environment.Converting electricity to hydrogen is a way of absorbing expected surpluses into sustainable electricity in the future. HyStock is the start of a future hydrogen market and thus contributes to the objective of making the Netherlands and Europe CO2 neutral.
During the opening of HyStock, organizations from the international business community, the government and knowledge institutions will talk to each other about the follow-up steps that are needed to achieve a truly sustainable economy. During his visit, De Koning will be shown various hydrogen applications, for example for industry and the mobility sector.
‘Hydrogen is a key element of the energy supply of the future,’ explains Han Fennema, Gasunie’s CEO. ‘The HyStock hydrogen plant is the first specific step towards really making an effort to achieve the required further growth in the use of sustainable hydrogen throughout the chain, from production to usage. We will be able to make part of our existing infrastructure suitable for the transport and storage of hydrogen by 2030. This sustainable reuse of the existing gas network will help to keep our energy supply reliable and affordable.’
Since large-scale transport and storage of hydrogen is expected to be easy, reliable and affordable, hydrogen can play a key role as a clean energy carrier for manufacturing, mobility and the built environment. Converting electricity into hydrogen is a way of using the expected future surpluses of sustainable electricity. HyStock is the start of the future hydrogen market and therefore helps to achieve the goal of making the Netherlands and Europe carbon-neutral.
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