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) has submitted a plan to MPs Bontenbal (CDA), Boucke (D66) and Erkens (VVD) 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 gigawatt of plants annually from 2026. This allows it to supply half of all the plants the Netherlands needs to meet its interim climate targets by 2030. 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.

De Nederlandse Waterstof Deltaaims to achieve an annual production capacity of 1 GW of Battolysers in the Merwe-Vierhaven area (M4H) by 2026. 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.

The Growth Fund subsidy application will also be used for research and scaling up suppliers for a broad-based manufacturing industry. 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. Technical courses will also have a place in this new cluster in the Merwe-Vierhaven area.

The plan was handed over to three MPs who have been championing the importance of accelerating the hydrogen economy, with a particular eye on the manufacturing industry needed to achieve the goals. The plan and the production site in particular will provide attractive jobs. Moreover, it will make the economy more sustainable and strengthen the earning power of the Netherlands. It also ensures that the Netherlands will have its own resources to achieve its climate ambitions. This will prevent the Netherlands and Europe from once again relying on technology from countries such as China and Russia to make the economy more sustainable.

This development is part of a broader redevelopment of the M4H area by the Port of Rotterdam Authority and the municipality, as was previously done with the RDM site. The broader strategy behind these developments is to turn the Rotterdam Makers District into a vibrant cluster of sustainable manufacturing.

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.