Iberdrola has taken a definitive step forward in the establishment of the green hydrogen maritime corridor between Spain and the Netherlands. The Executive Chairman of Iberdrola, Ignacio Galán, received His Majesty the King of the Netherlands at the Puertollano plant on the day that new agreements were signed between the company, ACE Terminal, and Hynetwork Services.
Ignacio Galán, Executive Chairman of Iberdrola, said: "when we talk about green hydrogen, we are not talking about promises, we are talking about a reality and it demonstrates Iberdrola's commitment to new technologies and to our country, as we have been doing for many years. We remain firmly committed to the Single Energy Market as the best way to promote the huge investments needed if we want a secure, clean and competitive energy industry."
Mr Galán also added that "the current facilities in Puertollano are in a first phase and in the future we aim to multiply the capacity of the plant 10 times. In addition, a few days ago, we also signed a contract to sell ammonia that we will produce in Huelva, more than 100 000 tpy. We have planned investments in this sector of more than €3 billion, of which more than half will come to Spain".
Helmie Botter, Hydrogen Business Development Manager at Gasunie, said: "With this agreement we are strengthening the hydrogen corridor between Spain and the Netherlands. Through import logistics hubs, such as the Port of Rotterdam, and the national hydrogen network of Hynetwork Services, a subsidiary of Gasunie, to bring green hydrogen to European industrial users, the Netherlands is positioning itself to become the gateway for Northwest Europe with hydrogen."
The project partners, Walter Moone (President of New Energies & LNG Vopak); Cees van Gent (CEO of HES International) and Ulco Vermeulen (Executive Board of Gasunie) attended the signing of the agreement and expressed their satisfaction that Iberdrola has chosen its terminal to receive, store and distribute green ammonia and to transport green hydrogen. Together with Iberdrola, ACE Terminal takes a significant step in the establishment of the hydrogen value chain between Spain and the Netherlands.
Thanks to the signed agreements signed, plans to develop a maritime corridor between Spain and the Netherlands are one step closer. Iberdrola aims to transport green ammonia to ACE Terminal's import facilities in the Port of Rotterdam, to handle and store, and convert ammonia into green hydrogen, for end use in industry, or for direct use in shipping and other industries in northwestern Europe. Transport and distribution will be carried out through the Dutch national hydrogen network of Gasunie's subsidiary Hynetwork Services in the European market to customers in the chemical, steel, refining and fertilizer industries. These entities are established in clusters such as those in Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Zeeland and Chemelot in the Netherlands and in northwestern Europe.
With His Mastestad King Willem-Alexander as a distinguished witness, the alliances established mark an important step forward in the materialisation of the agreement between Spain and the Netherlands. The objective is to establish the maritime corridor of green hydrogen between both countries as soon as possible that will help to decarbonise the industry of northern Europe. The maritime transport of competitive green hydrogen, which Iberdrola is already producing in Spain, is a key lever for this transformation to occur in the short-term.
In addition to His Majesty the King of the Netherlands, the Minister of Climate and Energy Policy of the Netherlands, Robert Jetten; the Secretary of State for Energy, Sara Aagesen, Roel Nieuwenkamp, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Spain and Consuelo Fermenía Guardiola, Ambassador of Spain to the Netherlands, also attended. The Puertollano plant has received more than 180 visits from governments, entrepreneurs and universities around the world. Among them, His Majesty the King of Spain during his inauguration, the Ministers of Energy of Australia, Chile and Slovenia, the Secretary of Environment of Brazil, the embassies of Turkey or Holland, or the Government delegations of Japan, Morocco, Colombia or Finland, as well as Chambers of Commerce from different countries. In December 2022, Iberdrola reached an agreement with the Port of Rotterdam to export green hydrogen and its derivatives to the Netherlands. This new step represents a step forward in its commitment to promote the decarbonisation of industrial consumers in northern Europe.