Hydrogen projects under development in the Netherlands by Shell, German energy company RWE and French industrial gases producer Air Liquide have secured financial support in the latest awards from the EU’s Innovation Fund.

Shell’s 400MW Holland Hydrogen project in Rotterdam and Air Liquide’s 200MW Elygator project in Terneuzen are among 17 large-scale developments sharing a total third-round award of €1.8bn ($1.8bn), the European Commission says.

RWE’s Furec project, which will process non-recyclable solid waste into hydrogen at the Chemelot chemicals complex, has also secured funding. RWE was also awarded cash for the 433MW Nordsee Two windfarm offshore Germany, which it is developing with Canada’s Northland Power.

€1.8 bn – Total third-round awards

“The Innovation Fund is an important tool to scale up innovations in renewable hydrogen and other solutions for European industry,” says Commission executive vice-president Frans Timmermans.

“Compared to the first disbursement round, the funds available have increased by 60pc, enabling us to double the number of projects supported. This is a big boost for the decarbonisation of energy-intensive industry in the EU.”

Renewable hydrogen

Shell’s Holland Hydrogen project—which will be powered by Dutch offshore wind—will start trials at a capacity of 200MW by 2025, rising to 400MW by 2027, according to details provided by the European Commission.

The hydrogen produced will be supplied to the Pernis refinery via a new high capacity “open-access” 40km pipeline to replace grey hydrogen currently used in the production of road fuel. The EU cited the project’s scale and its “novel high current density electrolyser technology” in making the award.

Air Liquide’s 200MW Elygator project will produce 15,500t/yr of renewable hydrogen. The project will use a highly flexible large-scale electrolyser powered by solar and wind.

Sweden

Another project selected in the third round is a sustainable methanol plant under development in Sweden by specialty chemicals company Perstorp Oxo, Finnish energy group Fortum and Swedish utility Sydrkraft.

Shell also secured funding for its Hyskies large-scale synthetic sustainable aviation fuel production project in Sweden.

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Author: Stuart Penson