Gas network operator Gasunie, terminal operator HES International and storage firm Vopak have agreed to develop an import terminal for green and blue ammonia at the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

The firms have signed an initial agreement to start work on the basic design for the ‘Ace’ terminal this month. The terminal will be situated in the port of Rotterdam’s Maasvlakte extension.

Currently there are no plans for an ammonia cracker, although one may be developed in the future at a reserved site alongside the terminal.

The terminal will be connected to Gasunie’s planned hydrogen pipeline backbone in the Netherlands. Gasunie aims to bring the pipeline that will form the main part of the backbone into operation by the second quarter of 2024. Companies that intend to consume or produce hydrogen will be encouraged to link to the open-access network.

Demand for green hydrogen is growing in the energy, petrochemicals and transport sectors in the Netherlands and Germany

Reliable logistics are essential for developing the green hydrogen market and achieving climate goals for 2030 and 2050, according to the three firms.

“An import terminal for green ammonia will make a vital contribution to the import of hydrogen—an essential link in the hydrogen chain, alongside hydrogen production, transport and storage,” the companies say in a joint statement.

Wider strategy

The agreement is part of Vopak’s wider strategy to invest heavily in hydrogen and ammonia infrastructure. The firm plans to invest up to €300mn ($326mn) this year.

The company is involved in more than ten different projects in this space, including one investigating the storage and transportation of hydrogen in liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHC) from a plant under construction in Germany to Rotterdam.

Demand for green hydrogen is growing in the energy, petrochemicals and transport sectors in the Netherlands and Germany. A recent study found that hydrogen demand in the Netherlands and the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia could rise to 162TWh and 239TWh respectively by 2050 if a common market is enacted.

Growing cluster

BP and Dutch hydrogen development company Hycc agreed in February to accelerate plans for a 250MW green hydrogen project sited at the Maasvlakte extension, following the completion of a feasibility study. The project will feed BP’s Rotterdam refinery and other industrial consumers in the area.

Maasvlakte is also the selected site for a 200MW green hydrogen project under development by rival oil major Shell.

And last year, the port of Rotterdam completed a joint study with Iceland’s national power company Landsvirkjun on the feasibility of shipping green hydrogen from Iceland to the Netherlands.

Shipping technologies

Ammonia is the most developed of three principal technologies that could be used to transport hydrogen, as the fuel can be carried on existing semi-refrigerated LPG tankers. But converting hydrogen to ammonia uses 7-18pc of the energy in the hydrogen itself, as does reconversion.

LOHCs also be used to transport hydrogen. LOHCs are similar in form to oil products and can be carried on product tankers. However, LOHC conversion and reconversion uses 35-45pc of hydrogen’s energy.

Hydrogen can also be liquefied and transported, but this technology is still in a nascent stage.

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Author: Tom Young