Bilbao and Amsterdam promote the creation of a European Renewable Hydrogen Corridor

It will connect two hydrogen valleys in growing development

This initiative will be promoted, in addition to the ports of Bilbao and Amsterdam, by the Basque Energy Agency (EVE), Petronor and the Dutch organizations SkyNRG, Evos Amsterdam, and ZenithEnergy Terminals.

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Bilbao and Amsterdam, Together with Basque Energy Entity (EVE), Petronor and Dutch organizations, SkyNRG, Evos Amsterdam and Zenith Energy Terminals have signed an agreement for the development of a European renewable hydrogen corridor between the ports of Bilbao and Amsterdam, which will be developed along the maritime route of both ports. 

 

The agreement has been signed Carlos Alzaga, Director of the Port of Bilbao; Inigo Ansola, Director of the Basque Energy Entity (EVE); José Ignacio Zudaire, Deputy CEO of Petronor; Gert-Jan Nieuwenhuizen, General Director of the International Port of Amsterdam; Theye Veen, Commercial Director of SkyNRG; Ramon Ernst, Managing Director of Evos and Tadhg Deasy, Managing Director of Zenith Energy Europe. His Majesty the King of the Netherlands Willem Alexander attended the signing as an official witness, underscoring the importance that this country attaches to bilateral cooperation for the development of the renewable hydrogen sector.

 

The partners will collaborate to develop a supply chain for renewable hydrogen and synthetic fuels, focusing on production in Euskadi and export to Netherlands and the European interior through the port of Amsterdam. 

 

The Port of Bilbao is part of the Basque Hydrogen Corridor, a collaboration promoted by Petronor to decarbonize the energy, industrial, residential and mobility sectors. 

This initiative fits with the Basque Hydrogen Strategy developed by EVE, which is aimed at both local use and international markets, and on the other hand, with the Dutch government's promotion of the production, import and use of renewable hydrogen.

The establishment of a corridor between Bilbao and Amsterdam will connect two hydrogen valleys in growing development. The corridor will not only facilitate the trade of renewable hydrogen and synthetic fuels, but will also encourage the exchange of knowledge and experience between the parties involved. Both parties will jointly discuss the next steps for their collaboration and will further strengthen the Spanish-Dutch relationship, in addition to contributing to the overall goal of emissions reduction.

 

The European Corridor will connect the Hydrogen Valleys of the Basque Hydrogen Corridor and the Noord-Holland Hydrogen Hub, through the ports of Bilbao and Amsterdam

 

 

Decarbonization projects with renewable hydrogen

Petronor is developing numerous projects in Euskadi, among which the construction of electrolyzers for the production of renewable hydrogen and a demonstration plant for the production of renewable fuels stand out, specifically, synthetic fuels produced from CO2 and renewable hydrogen.

The 2 MW electrolyzer will be the first production of renewable hydrogen in the Basque Country and will come into full operation in September with the aim of supplying energy to the Energy Intelligent Center of the Abanto Zierbena Technology Park, and the first hydrogen plants in Euskadi (one in each territory) that will be put into operation progressively. 

The synthetic fuel plant, located in the Port of Bilbao, will be operational in 2025, will have a 10Mw electrolyzer and will produce around 8.000 liters of fuel. 

The ports

The port of Bilbao will serve as a hub for the export of renewable hydrogen and its derivatives. The port of Bilbao is already an important European logistics center. A role that can be leveraged to become a key supplier of renewable hydrogen, in particular for northwest Europe. And a European renewable hydrogen corridor between the ports of Bilbao and Amsterdam will support this challenge.

For its part, the Port of Amsterdam is the fourth largest port in Europe and is firmly committed to the development of renewable hydrogen facilities in its port area and to the establishment of import corridors for renewable hydrogen and its derivatives. 

One of the prominent industrial sectors supplied by the Port of Amsterdam is the aviation industry. The port has a direct connection to one of the largest airports in Europe, the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. 

 

Jose Ignacio Zudaire, Deputy CEO of Petronor and president of the Basque Hydrogen Corridor has stressed that “the project that the Basque Hydrogen Corridor is promoting throughout the hydrogen value chain is of extreme importance for Euskadi”, which has a privileged ecosystem, capable of leading this challenge: renewable hydrogen as an energy vector. “We have a strategic geographical position, an industrial port, gas infrastructure, driving companies and a consolidated industrial fabric.”