The Northern Netherlands presented itself in The Hague on Thursday 17 January with no fewer than eight hydrogen vehicles in the presence of Secretary of State Stientje van Veldhoven (I & W) and various MPs. The Northern Netherlands wants to play an important role in the abandonment of fossil fuels and wants green hydrogen to play an important role in this. The Groningen-based company Holthausen and the Drentse Resato were present in The Hague alongside deputy Tjisse Stelpstra from the province of Drenthe.
Northern Netherlands on the road to green hydrogen economy
With the Hesla (converted Tesla), Holthausen has shown the world the great potential of transport on hydrogen and is now working hard on converting all kinds of vehicles such as road sweepers and city buses. Resato develops hydrogen filling stations. Stefan Holthausen: “We have shown here that the northern business community is ready to help the government to tackle the climate problem. But we can not do this as SMEs alone and ask the government to help us invest in a nationwide filling station network and financial contribution for the purchase and production of the first 5,000 hydrogen vehicles. Without hydrogen cars, no hydrogen refueling stations and no stations without cars. “To the state secretary, Tjisse Stelpstra expressed his admiration for this bottom-up approach: In addition, he asked the State Secretary to express his support for the call that is being prepared in the Northern Netherlands to become the 'Hydrogen Valley' of Europe.
Leader in sustainable public transport
In the Northern Netherlands, too, work is being done on the use of hydrogen in public transport. Deputy Stelpstra handed a position paper to the state secretary with the words “soon we will be 32 hydrogen buses further than America.” From 2020, Groningen and Drenthe will have the most sustainable bus concession in the Netherlands with approximately 181 zero-emission buses. In addition, Arriva will start a long-term pilot with hydrogen trains from mid-2019. Secretary of State Van Veldhoven was impressed by the northern ambition: “I have been on a working visit to you and it was wonderful to see what you all do with the public transport and the sustainability strikes that you all make. Not only in public transport, but also to make public transport more attractive in areas where it may not have been so attractive before. That all adds to it and I find it very impressive. ”
The following were present from the House of Representatives: Maurits von Martels (CDA), Anne Kuik (CDA), Carla Dik-Faber (CU), Jessica van Eijs (D66), Antje Diertens (D66), Dilan Yeşilgöz (VVD), Dennis Wiersma ( VVD), Erik Ziengs (VVD), Suzanne Kröger (GL) and Cem Laçin (SP).
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