Netherlands to build 10 GW national network for green hydrogen

Gasunie, a state-owned natural gas infrastructure specialist in the Netherlands, has announced plans to build a national network that will link up “carbon-free” hydrogen supply and demand.

It said the network will have an initial capacity of 10 GW and its construction will require an investment of approximately €1.5 billion.

“The national hydrogen network must be ready in 2027 and will consist of 85% recycled natural gas pipes, supplemented by new pipes,” it said. “A major advantage of this is that the costs will be a factor of four lower than if entirely new pipelines were laid.”

The development of the first pipelines will likely start after the summer and regions with strong hydrogen development, such as Rotterdam and Groningen, will be prioritized.

“The interconnected national infrastructure will not only link our ports and industrial clusters with each other and with hydrogen storage locations, but also with our neighbouring countries,” said Gasunie CEO Han Fennema.

The first parts of the network will be built in the northern Netherlands. They will eventually be linked with assets in northern Germany, with initial operations scheduled for 2025.

“In the field of hydrogen, we have gained experience with the underground pipeline that we converted to hydrogen three years ago in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen,” said Fennema, in reference to a 12-kilometer hydrogen pipeline that Gasuine built on existing gas infrastructure in 2018.

In April, Gasunie, Rotterdam-based bulk products supplier HES International (HES) and Dutch storage specialist Vopak signed a deal to jointly develop an import terminal for green ammonia as a hydrogen carrier.

“The terminal will operate on the Maasvlakte under the name ACE Terminal and will be operational from 2026,” the company said at the time.

Dutch transmission system operator Enexis, Gasunie, and Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij BV (NAM) began considering the use of excess solar power generation capacity in the northeastern Netherlands for hydrogen production in late 2019.