Gasunie Gets EU Grant for Green Hydrogen Venture
A consortium led by the Netherlands’ gas grid operator Gasunie is to secure a €11mn ($12mn) EU grant for a green hydrogen project in Delfzijl, the companies involved announced on January 22.
The group plans to develop a 20-MW electrolyser to split water into hydrogen and oxygen – set to be the largest of its kind in Europe. The electrolyser will be owned and operated by Gasunie and Dutch chemicals group Nouryon. A final investment decision is scheduled to be taken this year.
Four other partners are involved in the venture. France’s McPhy will provide its alkaline electrolysis technology to convert clean energy into 3,000 mt/yr of green hydrogen, while the Netherlands’ BioMCN will combine hydrogen with CO2 to produce renewable methanol, resulting in a 27,000 mt/yr reduction in CO2 emissions. Italian electrodes producer DeNora and Belgian sustainable energy consultant Hinicio will also take part.
The €11mn grant comes from the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, a partnership between the European Commission and industry, Gasunie said in a statement. An additional €5mn in subsidies will come from Wadenfonds, a fund that invests in projects in the northern Netherlands.
Gasunie and Nouryon are also studying options to raise the electrolyser’s capacity from 20 to 60 MW, in order to produce jet fuel from hydrogen under a project involving another set of partners.