The last piece of fallow land on Maasvlakte 2 has been reserved for no fewer than five hydrogen factories. This so-called electrolysers make hydrogen from electricity and water. In addition to the factories, the cable from grid operator Tennet will come ashore, which will supply the electricity for the new wind farms in the North Sea. Part of that electricity has to be converted into hydrogen. Shell, BP, Uniper and Air Liquide, among others, have announced that they want to build the factories.
Hydrogen is intended to provide chemical companies in the port area with an alternative to natural gas. Because energy is also lost during the production of hydrogen, switching to electricity is more efficient, but companies that require high temperatures for their production, for example, cannot use electricity for this. They can switch to green hydrogen. Many chemical companies already use hydrogen, but this is usually made from natural gas.
In addition to industry, hydrogen is also used for heavy transport. There are already buses, trucks, trains and ships that run or sail on hydrogen. Today a group of Dutch companies announced that they would start working on hydrogen aircraft.
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