The Hydrogen Accelerator Workshop | HCSS, VOTOB & VNO-NCW

Green hydrogen is one of the key energy sources that will enable the Netherlands to reach net zero by 2050. Hydrogen will be needed for the industrial energy transition in various forms: liquid organic hydrogen carriers, compressed hydrogen, methanol or ammonia. Establishing these new supply chains requires large-scale coordination between producers, storage companies, distributors, operators, investors as well as local and national authorities.

In October 2022, the Dutch association of tank storage companies (VOTOB), the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS), and The Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers (VNO-NCW), brought together stakeholders of the emerging hydrogen supply chains. The Hydrogen Accelerator workshop aimed to facilitate dialogue and to speed up action.

Together we discussed existing projects that aim to deliver green hydrogen to industries in the Netherlands and surrounding area. The proposed timeline of the projects was plotted on a Gantt chart which allowed for a concrete discussion of the available supply of green hydrogen every year up to 2030. It also revealed solutions that could help companies accelerate their green hydrogen projects.

The workshop utilised bespoke 3D models of the different supply chains and a large-scale map of the Netherlands and its surrounding areas – the North Sea, Antwerp and North-Rhine Westphalia. For each supply centre – including the Port of Rotterdam, the Port of Amsterdam, the North Sea Port and Eemshaven – we used 3D models to plot the types of infrastructure necessary to complete hydrogen value chains: ships, offshore wind turbines, electrolysers, storage units, cables and pipelines.

Furthermore, we look forward to delivering a future hydrogen accelerator workshop centred on the North Rhine Westphalia.

The participants discussed avenues accelerating the transition to hydrogen as the key industrial energy source in the Netherlands. These include:

Concrete requirements for industrial hydrogen consumption, which would de-risk investments and accelerate the creation of a supply base.

More coordination and coherence between projects via a national industrial strategy focused on increasing competitiveness and enhancing innovation in the hydrogen sector.

And finally, intensive communication in the early stages of industrial projects between companies and authorities, which would streamline the licensing process and public-private cooperation.