Dutch gas grid operator Gasunie said on 27 October that construction works have started on the first section of its hydrogen network.
According to Gasunie, the hydrogen network will link five industrial clusters to each other as well as to neighbouring countries and to hydrogen storage facilities. It will be some 1,200km in length and cost €1.5bn and will largely consist of repurposed gas infrastructure.
The first section of the hydrogen network will be 30km long and will connect the Tweede Maasvlakte industrial park to Pernis and is set to be operational in 2025.
The Netherlands is set to be a major hub for European hydrogen in the coming years, with import infrastructure being built at several ports in the country to allow hydrogen to arrive in different forms for further distribution to neighbouring European countries, specifically Germany.
Data from ICIS showed that Dutch hydrogen demand – dominated by the chemicals industry – would increase from 38TWh in 2023 to 46TWh in 2030, to 65TWh by 2040 and to 95TWh by 2050 in comparison to Germany hitting 102TWh by 2031.
