Rotterdam gets manufacturing industry for hydrogen
Growth fund application of around €80m should kickstart Dutch manufacturing industry for electrolysers.
The consortium De Nederlandse Waterstof Delta (The Dutch Hydrogen Delta) to kickstart the electrolyser manufacturing industry and thus accelerate the hydrogen economy. The plan – De Nederlandse Waterstof Delta- was designed by 12 consortium partners and some 80 million euros in funding has been applied for from the National Growth Fund for its implementation.
The plan ensures that the Netherlands increases its autonomy and starts making its own plants needed to produce green hydrogen. De Nederlandse Waterstof Deltawill supply 1 GW of plants annually from 2026.
The plants operate on the basis of a unique Dutch hydrogen battery, the Battolyser. This technology, developed at TU Delft, can store electricity and produce green hydrogen from renewable electricity. The system can produce hydrogen when there is plenty of wind and solar power available and supply electricity to the grid when there is a shortage of electricity due to low wind and solar power.
According to the Port of Rotterdam Authority, the manufacturing industry is the missing link in the Dutch hydrogen economy. Factories making green hydrogen are being built on the Maasvlakte, for example. However, the associated equipment is not currently made in the Netherlands.
Investments will also be made in a so-called H2 Innovation Hub where companies, start-ups, scale-ups, investors, researchers and government can meet to share knowledge and establish partnerships.
The consortium De Nederlandse Waterstof Delta consists of Battolyser Systems, Port of Rotterdam Authority, Platform Zero, Didak, Agfa Gevaert, Madern International, VSPARTICLE, Demcon, Delft University of Technology, Techniek College Rotterdam, Hogeschool Rotterdam and InnovationQuarter. Together, the consortium parties develop and produce the critical components for the electrolyser, assemble them at scale, realise an ecosystem including necessary facilities and provide trained people.
