Gasunie subsidiary Hynetwork has connected the first hydrogen plant to the Dutch hydrogen network. The customer connection’s so-called ‘golden weld’ was made between the 200 MW Holland Hydrogen 1 plant at the Rotterdam Maasvlakte and the hydrogen pipeline. The connection work was performed by contractor Hanab. This is the first time a green hydrogen producer has been connected directly to the national hydrogen infrastructure. It signifies another step in the development of the hydrogen network interconnecting Dutch industry and connecting it to industry abroad. This is a key condition for the decarbonisation of industry in the Netherlands and north-western Europe.

The connection follows the successful completion of the first 32 kilometres of hydrogen pipeline earlier this year, after filling it with green hydrogen and bringing it to the correct pressure. The hydrogen pipeline was constructed by Hynetwork and largely runs parallel to the A15, inside an existing energy corridor where other key infrastructure is also clustered, including the CO₂ pipeline used for the Porthos project.