Port of Rotterdam and Shannon Foynes to explore development of European green fuels supply chain corridor
Ireland’s largest bulk port Shannon Foynes and the Port of Rotterdam – Europe’s largest port – have signed an agreement with a view to developing a supply-chain corridor for exporting green fuels into Europe produced from the west of Ireland’s limitless wind resource, according to Shannon Foynes's release.
The agreement will focus on market and trade development for vast volumes of green hydrogen and its derivatives produced at the planned international green energy hub on the Shannon Estuary.
The Memorandum of Understanding signed by the ports identifies significant and identified scale-up volumes of Green Hydrogen commencing with proof-of-concept volumes by 2030.
Europe’s overall green hydrogen strategy for 2030 is to import 10 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen by 2030 for use in heavy industry and transport sectors that are traditionally reliant on coal, natural gas, and oil. The Port of Rotterdam intends to facilitate volumes of 40 million tonnes from across the world by 2050, a significant proportion of which can come from the Atlantic resource.
Further opportunities will also be explored under the MOU, including building coalitions with interested and suitable commercial parties and adding other parties to the MOU to help achieve a joint supply chain process for delivering the first proof-of-concept volumes before 2030.
The MOU also provides for engaging relevant public stakeholders to support the initiative and sharing of information regarding the potential supply of green hydrogen and green hydrogen derivatives, such as green ammonia, green methanol, etc, as well as sharing best practice information on areas such as desalination, high voltage electricity, industrial clustering around the H2 molecule and green ship bunkering processes.
The two ports will also potentially work together on market development in this new market and jointly finding final off-takers for supplies from Ireland. These would include maritime fuels sector, sustainable aviation fuels, green fertilizer and facilities with direct green hydrogen fuel requirements such as the steel industry.
Shannon Foynes Port Company, Ireland’s deepest sheltered commercial harbour and largest bulk port company, has statutory jurisdiction over all marine activities on a 500km2 area on the Shannon Estuary, stretching from Kerry to Loop Head to Limerick City. Due to the Port’s location proximate to the Atlantic wind resource, considered the best in the world, and its plans to introduce new services that could assist in decarbonising the supply chain, the Port has a significant role to play in the Government’s Climate Action Plan about energy generation and transport. The Shannon Estuary – with depths of up to 32m and a handling capacity for large vessels up to 200,000 deadweight tonnes, is among the deepest ports in Europe – providing Shannon Foynes Port Company, its customers and investors with a natural advantage and opportunity. Shannon Foynes Port Company is an EU Core Network Port (TEN-T) and a Tier 1 Port in the National Ports Policy, effectively designating the Shannon Estuary as a commercial water course of international significance.
