The commissioning of the e-boiler fits in seamlessly with the sustainability ambitions of Vopak Vlaardingen, according to the company's release. The terminal is specialized in the storage of, among other things, vegetable oils and fats, in the form of food products and (feedstocks for) biofuels.
In 2023, 16 new tanks were installed to safely store waste-based vegetable/animal raw materials for the production of biodiesel and sustainable aviation fuel. It is expected that the demand for these more sustainable fuels will grow in Europe. Many of the products stored at Vopak Vlaardingen must be heated in order to be transported.
By now using a 10 MegaWatt electric boiler for this heating, approximately 3,500 tons of CO2 are saved per year, which is equivalent to the gas consumption and CO2 emissions of approximately 2,000 households. Since 2021, the terminal has switched to green electricity, enabling CO2-neutral operation of the e-boiler. In addition, the e-boiler will reduce the pressure on the national electricity grid by using the e-boiler at full capacity as soon as an abundance of wind and/or solar energy is available on the grid and storing the heat for use at a later time.
Vopak is listed on the Euronext Amsterdam and is headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.