Together with Port of Den Helder (PoDH), Norwegian energy giant Statkraft is developing a factory for the production of green hydrogen. The intention is to start small and scale up to a national level later. Yusuf Kilic (Statkraft) and Katja Naber (PoDH) on the plans and ambitions: “This project really gives a boost to the hydrogen chain in several ways.”
Statkraft – the largest producer of green energy in Europe – announced this spring to build and operate an electrolyser. This is to be located on the Oostoever industrial estate. Project developer Yusuf Kilic (Statkraft) was previously involved in the solar park at Kooypunt. “I knew about PoDH’s ambitions with green hydrogen. So the connection was quickly made when the decision was made last year at the head office in Oslo to develop green hydrogen projects in the Netherlands.”
The local production of green hydrogen in the port of Den Helder is one of the puzzle pieces that needs to be put in place in Zephyros, a project that focuses on setting up the entire hydrogen chain: from production to sales and distribution. Katja Naber, commercial manager at Port of Den Helder, about the ambitions: “We want to make our port more sustainable in order to achieve the national and European climate goals. To do this, we are looking for clean, alternative fuels, not only for shipping, but also for making the port itself more sustainable. Green hydrogen can play an important role in this.”
As mentioned, the hydrogen plant is part of the Zephyros project. The full name of the project stands for: 'Zero Emission in the Port of Den Helder, by using Hydrogen for transport over road and Sea'. Local production of hydrogen with renewable energy is an important part of this. The project is structured as a two-stage rocket. It starts in 2026 with a small electrolyzer of 2 Megawatt, depending on the availability of infrastructure and availability of sufficient water and electricity.
Kilic: “Our goal is to produce 150 to 200 tons of green hydrogen per year in 2 years; roughly the annual consumption of four to six inland vessels. Our ultimate goal is a factory with a capacity of 150 Megawatts. But it seems that we will not be able to start construction until around 2030, because the electricity grid we need for that is scheduled for 2031-2034 by Tennet.” Distribution of hydrogen will initially take place by trucks and ships. Kilic: “If we scale up to phase 2, transport by road or water is no longer realistic. For the implementation of that phase, we depend on the construction of the national distribution pipelines.”
Although the electrolyser will operate with renewable energy from offshore wind, there will be no direct connection to offshore wind farms. Green energy will be supplied via the existing network. “In consultation with suppliers, we will produce more hydrogen if there is a surplus of wind energy. In this way, we contribute to relieving the burden on the national energy network with the electrolyser. That sounds simple, but it is extremely complicated to make agreements about this.”
Not only the supply of wind energy, but also the distribution of the produced hydrogen requires the necessary attention. The point is, Kilic explains, that there are no companies or organizations that convert green hydrogen. "So we not only have to realize the technology, but also set up the trade network." For the first, small-scale project, Port of Den Helder and Statkraft are in talks with local buyers. "We can still distribute that quantity with trucks and ships. When we scale up, distribution via road or water transport is no longer realistic. For that phase, we are bound to the construction of distribution pipelines."
The project is still in the research phase. “At the moment, the permit application is being prepared,” says Kilic. “Among other things, we are looking at safety, environmental effects and impact on the living environment. Depending on the results, we will further develop the design of the hydrogen factory. At the same time, we are in talks with Tennet and Liander, Gasunie, the water company PWN and the water board HHNK. All these parties are needed to operate the installation.”
Education is also part of the preparation process. Naber: “To enable large-scale production and distribution of hydrogen, we need to start training the people who will be able to manage the factory. We are also focusing on retraining people in the oil and gas world. In this way, Zephyros not only contributes to the energy transition, but also to knowledge development and employment in the region.”
Entrepreneurs and maritime users are responding enthusiastically, Naber continues. “More and more parties are seeing the potential of hydrogen. Previously, everyone was waiting for each other, but now that supply is coming, you see that sectors are being shaken up. Our focus was initially on the maritime sector, but now that industry and logistics and transport have also joined in. This project really gives the hydrogen chain a huge boost in several areas.'
There are plenty of challenges. One of the questions, for example, is whether the water company will still be able to supply sufficient pure water for the electrolysis process in a few years. “That is why we are also including the construction of a water purification plant in the design,” says Kilic. “An alternative would be to use seawater for this. But I see that more as a long-term solution. Various companies are looking for innovative solutions, but at the moment it is still very difficult to produce hydrogen from seawater.”
Still, he is confident that the project will succeed. “The enthusiasm of everyone involved has created even more faith in the project. The people behind Zephyros are really determined to get this project done. The municipality and other agencies and authorities are also in cooperation mode. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of that drive.”
