AMSTERDAM – AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals and Gasunie New Energy have joined forces to investigate the possible large-scale conversion of sustainable electricity into green hydrogen via the electrolysis of water.

Intended for Delfzijl in The Netherlands, the installation would use a 20 megawatt water electrolysis unit, the largest in Europe, to convert sustainably produced electricity into 3,000 tons of green hydrogen a year – enough to fuel 300 hydrogen buses. A final decision on the project is expected in 2019.

The planned 20 megawatt facility is an important step towards scaling up the electrolysis technology. So far, the largest planned electrolysis unit in The Netherlands has a capacity of one megawatt. The eventual aim is to be able to build installations that convert and store sustainable energy in the form of hydrogen on an even larger scale (from 100 megawatts).

AkzoNobel and Gasunie complement each other in the required expertise for this project, which includes gas transport and storage, electrolysis, and handling of hydrogen. Both companies want to play an active role in the transition to a CO₂-neutral economy, and the project is in line with their respective initiatives in renewable energy – including hydrogen.

Both companies agree that the northern part of The Netherlands is perfectly positioned to develop a green hydrogen economy, due to the large-scale production and import of green electricity, the existing chemical industry, the current gas transmission infrastructure, the knowledge infrastructure, and the support within the Northern Innovation Board.