Industrial gas supplier Air Products, Lehigh Valley, Penn., and Gunvor Petroleum Rotterdam (GPR), a wholly-owned subsidiary of commodities trader Gunvor Group, have signed a joint development agreement to build a green hydrogen import terminal in Rotterdam.
The terminal is expected to start receiving green hydrogen imports by 2026.
The Gunvor site in Europoort Rotterdam is one of several European locations envisaged by Air Products for the development of a green hydrogen import terminal. In a joint media statement on June 28, Air Products and Gunvor said the site provides strategic access for receiving green ammonia from large-scale green hydrogen production locations operated by Air Products and its partners from projects around the world.
The green ammonia will be converted to hydrogen and distributed to markets within Europe, including the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium, according to the two companies.
Air Products and Gunvor noted that Europe is unlikely to be able to produce sufficient quantities of green hydrogen locally to meet the targets set under the European Union’s (E.U.) “Fit for 55” legislative package and REPowerEU, given the substantial amount of renewable energy required.
Consequently, large-scale, green hydrogen imports will be essential, and with the Rotterdam import project, the Netherlands would make a leading contribution to E.U. energy transition goals, the companies said.