The Greater Rotterdam – The Hague area has a strong starting position for a successful hydrogen manufacturing industry. For example, 43% of all hydrogen in the Netherlands is produced in the Rotterdam-Moerdijk port industrial cluster and a basic infrastructure for hydrogen is already in place. More than 200 regional manufacturing industry companies and knowledge institutions are also active here, some of which are already affiliated with hydrogen initiatives.

A recent study, commissioned by the province of Zuid-Holland, InnovationQuarter and the Municipality of Rotterdam, reveals that the hydrogen economy offers many opportunities for the manufacturing industry in the Greater Rotterdam – The Hague area. In order to capitalize on these opportunities, the researchers Ekinetix and Stratelligence recommend the establishment of a Hydrogen Competence Centre (comparable to the battery competence center in Eindhoven).

Jeanette Baljeu, Deputy Port and Industry: “This research actually confirms what we already knew. That the Greater Rotterdam – The Hague area is in a good position to grow into a European hydrogen hub. We have the infrastructure, knowledge and expertise in-house. By connecting the knowledge of all those companies and organizations, we are able to accelerate the transition to the green hydrogen economy.”

Hydrogen Competence Center

The process industry, the maritime and offshore industry, installation technology and many more can benefit from the transition to a green hydrogen economy. The study specifically identifies three categories of companies that can benefit from the opportunities of the hydrogen economy:

companies that already have experience with (grey) hydrogen and are expanding to climate neutral hydrogen;
companies switching to hydrogen-powered installations and means of transport;
companies that are strong in technologies for which demand arises due to the specific characteristics of hydrogen.

In order to capitalize on these opportunities, a number of bottlenecks must be tackled. These bottlenecks are clustered around four main themes: knowledge development, ecosystem reinforcement, demand stimulation and support. For example, the infrastructure for transport and storage of hydrogen and the presence of sufficient hydrogen produced with low emissions needs attention. In the context of knowledge development, the researchers recommend setting up a ‘Hydrogen Competence Center’. This must be a public-private knowledge center, where one can find specific knowledge, collaboration and research partners aimed at the application of hydrogen.

Next steps?

The Province of Zuid-Holland, the Municipality of Rotterdam and InnovationQuarter will enter into discussions with the sector to determine how the recommendations in the report can be realized and the opportunities can be capitalized on.

Read the entire report (in Dutch) on the opportunities of the hydrogen manufacturing industry.

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT

Hydrogen plans part of the ‘Growth Agenda’ Zuid-Holland

The hydrogen plans are part of the ‘Growth Agenda’ Zuid-Holland. The Growth Agenda has been calculated by the OESO, Erasmus University and NEO Observatory. In concrete terms, the region’s promise is:

To achieve 40% of the national CO2-reduction (73 megatons) by making industry and chemistry more sustainable;
To realise 25% of the national housing task (240,000 homes);
To achieve 12% economic growth in our region in ten years’ time. In concrete terms, this is €24 billion in extra GDP and new jobs;
Renewing industry through innovation, digitization, sustainability and new technologies.

To compare: 150 kilotons of hydrogen can fill 25 million cars. With 150 kilotons, 1.5 million kilometers can be driven.

Want to know more about hydrogen projects in the region?