Shell moves to build Europe’s biggest green hydrogen plant to power Rotterdam refinery

Shell’s upcoming Holland Hydrogen 1 plant is set to be Europe’s biggest with a 200-megawatt electrolyser when it is up and running.

PHOTO: The Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rotterdam, formerly called the Pernis refinery. Shell

The electrolyser will be fed with electricity generated from offshore wind from the Hollandse Kust windfarm north of Rotterdam, and is expected to produce 60 mt/day, or nearly 22,000 mt/year, of green hydrogen.

It will be built in Tweede Maasvlakte with a target completion date in 2025 and produce green hydrogen to replace grey hydrogen consumption at the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rotterdam refinery.

Shell says oil products production at the refinery can partly be decarbonised with the green hydrogen produced at Holland Hydrogen 1. It will eventually also target hydrogen expected growth in demand from heavy-duty road trucks.

Shell announced last year it is also building an 820,000 mt/year capacity biofuels plant at the refinery, which was previously known as Pernis, to produce sustainable aviation fuel and biodiesel.