The construction of the first section of a 1,200-kilometer national hydrogen network began near Rotterdam. Officials said the Netherlands would be the first country in Europe with such infrastructure.
Nederlandse Gasunie, the Dutch gas infrastructure and transmission operator, marked the beginning of the installation of a 30-kilometer hydrogen pipeline. It is the first part of a planned national network of 1,200 kilometers, valued at EUR 1.5 billion.

The first section, worth EUR 100 million, will run from the new port and industrial park Tweede Maasvlakte (Maasvlakte 2) near Rotterdam to Shell’s gas refinery in Pernis. The European Union is rolling out hefty subsidies to stimulate both the production and demand for low-carbon hydrogen, also known as clean hydrogen. The industry is still in a very early phase and such technologies have a long way to become competitive against hydrogen produced from fossil gas.

The idea behind the project is to connect industrial hubs within the Netherlands as well as with Germany and Belgium. The network is envisaged with storage facilities including a salt cavern in the country’s north.