The Netherlands and the UAE have signed an agreement to cooperate on hydrogen as Europe continues to look for ways to reduce its dependence on Russian energy.

The deal, inked in Dubai by Dutch foreign trade minister Liesje Schreinemacher and UAE minister of energy and infrastructure Mohamed al-Mazrouei, includes finding transport routes for green hydrogen between the two countries.

“The war in Ukraine has once again shown how important it is for Europe to switch more quickly to sustainable energy and also to diversify our gas imports. The [Mideast] Gulf countries are an important partner for us in both areas,” says Schreinemacher.

The Dutch-Emirati deal follows shortly after the German minister for economic affairs, Robert Habeck, visited the UAE to agree four hydrogen-related commercial agreements.

4GW – Targeted Netherlands electrolyser capacity by 2030

Countries dependent on Russian energy are scrambling to secure future alternative supplies as the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine threatens to turn into an energy supply crisis.

At the beginning of March, Austria signed its own memorandum of understanding with the UAE to cooperate on hydrogen production, and Germany’s Habeck held talks last week with Norway to assess viability of a hydrogen pipeline between the two countries.

The Netherlands has an ambitious plan to install 500MW of electrolyser capacity by 2025 and up to 4GW by 2030. The government estimates this target will deliver hydrogen volumes that are equivalent to up to 2bn m³ of natural gas, presenting an important alternative to Russian imports.

With hydrogen demand expected to exceed local supply, the Netherlands aims to act as a northwest European import hub for hydrogen.

The country has already signed hydrogen trade accords with other potential exporters, including Chile and Portugal. The Port of Rotterdam, Europe’s biggest harbour, has carried out a joint study with Iceland’s national power company, Landsvirkjun, on the feasibility of shipping green hydrogen from Iceland to the Netherlands.

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Author: Karolin Schaps