Port of Rotterdam to tender for offshore-wind powered 1GW green hydrogen plant

Allard Castelein, the port’s chief executive, said a 1GW electrolyser would be the “next leap in scale” as several companies are now planning or already building 200–250MW electrolysers at the Maasvlakte extension within the port.

The Port said various companies already have plans for 1.35GW of electrolysis in Rotterdam, but its ambition is to achieve 2–2.5GW by 2030. That will be within reach with this development. The Dutch government is aiming for 4GW nationwide by 2030.

Draft ministerial regulations say the IJmuiden Ver Beta wind farm, for which a formal tender process will start later this year, will have a capacity of 2GW. Various parties have already indicated an interest, and the Port of Rotterdam will reserve 11 hectares at Maasvlakte for the tender winner.

Producing hydrogen directly on the coast would make sense for industrial customers and would avoid adding to loads on the high-voltage network, according to the port authority.

A new hydrogen pipeline will run alongside the site, which sits next to the location of Tennet’s 380kV Amaliehaven high-voltage substation. The site is the landing point for the planned 2GW direct-current cable from the IJmuiden Ver Beta wind farm.