Amsterdam, Bilbao ports to develop renewable hydrogen corridor

Port of Bilbao and Port of Amsterdam have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to join forces for the development of a renewable hydrogen corridor between Bilbao and Amsterdam. 

As informed, the ports signed the MoU together with the Energy Agency of the Basque Government (EVE), Petronor, SkyNRG, Evos Amsterdam and Zenith Energy Terminals.

Under the MoU, the partners want to develop a renewable hydrogen supply chain, focusing on production in the Basque Country and export to the Netherlands and the European hinterland through the port of Amsterdam.

Specificallt, this fits with the wider Basque Hydrogen Strategy, developed by EVE, which is aimed at both local usage and international markets, and the Dutch government’s stimulation of the production, import and use of hydrogen.

The port of Bilbao is part of the Basque Hydrogen Corridor, a collaboration spearheaded by Petronor and Repsol to decarbonise the energy, industrial, residential and mobility sectors.

Meawnhile, Petronor is committed to developing a broad range of renewable fuels and to creating a hub in Bilbao that will compose a synthetic fuels plant and an urban waste processing project.

Thus, Petronor and Repsol, together with EVE and other companies, are developing the construction of electrolysers for the production of renewable hydrogen, with a total capacity of 113 MW, and a demonstration plant for the production of hydrogen-based e-fuels, the first synthetic fuel plaint in Spain.

Furthermore, they are developing another project focused on a municipal waste pyrolysis plant, which aligns with Repsol’s strategy of promoting the circular economy. It will use technologies to decarbonise processes in Petronor. Accordig to the companies, these projects will set a new benchmark in Europe and are on the leading edge of the development of net-zero emissions fuels.

Hydrogen based fuels, e-fuels and methanol are promising solutions to cope with both transport and maritime needs, the partners emphasized.

‘In order to realise a climate neutral energy system and a sustainable industry, the Netherlands and Europe have large hydrogen ambitions. International collaboration is essential to develop the hydrogen market and the associated infrastructure,” Rob Jetten, Dutch Minister for Climate and Energy Policy, stated.

“Within the EU, Spain offers plenty of opportunities and is therefore one of our most important hydrogen partners. In the end, it is the companies that will truly need to make it happen. Important that this is already happening and that Dutch and Spanish companies are reaching shared agreements on the delivery of green hydrogen.”

“The Port of Bilbao is fully committed to the production, transport and use of renewable energies and supports and works together with those companies that are developing green sources of energies. And green hydrogen is one of the most important paths for that goal,” Carlos Alzaga, Managing Director of the Port of Bilbao Authority said.

“Port of Amsterdam views green hydrogen and e-fuels as major components of the port of the future. We are very pleased to collaborate with the companies active in our port, and with our Spanish counterparts. The port of Bilbao and Petronor are natural fits for setting up a green hydrogen corridor. The formation of such intra-European corridors goes a long way in propelling the European Union as a whole to its new energy future,” Dorine Bosman, Chief Investment Officer at Port of Amsterdam, commented.

Port of Amsterdam is the operator of Europe’s fourth-largest port and is strongly committed to developing green hydrogen facilities within its port area, as well as establishing import corridors for green hydrogen and its derivatives. 

In January this year, a keel was laid for Port of Amsterdam’s hydrogen ship Neo Orbis.

H2Ships is the Interreg North-West Europe project that will demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of hydrogen bunkering and propulsion for shipping, identifying the conditions for successful market entry for technology.

According to project partners, the Neo Orbis will be the first ship in the world to sail electrically, propelled with hydrogen in solid form as an energy carrier – sodium borohydride – and will therefore be completely emission-free.