HyNetherlands aims to develop, build, and operate one of the first large-scale industrial value chains in Europe for the production of e-methanol by combining renewable hydrogen and biogenic CO2 in the North of the Netherlands (Groningen province).
Hydrogen and e-methanol are sustainable and high-performing energy carriers that match the characteristics of their fossil counterparts: they have high energy density, they are easy to bunker and transport, and they use existing assets and infrastructure.
The first phase of the project will consist of a new 100 MW electrolyser facility that will produce hydrogen for e-methanol production and deliver renewable-based hydrogen to the local mobility and industry sectors.
The HyNL project connects individual industrial sites at three different locations:
- The ENGIE hydrogen production site will be located on the site of the Eems power plant in Eemshaven. The 100 MW electrolyser will be powered by 200 MW capacity of offshore wind turbines.
- The EEW carbon capture plant will be integrated with the existing waste-to-energy plant in Farmsum. It will capture biogenic CO2 from the flue gases of the plant's production lines. CO2 logistics and infrastructure will intentionally be provided by Groningen Seaports.
- OCI’s BioMCN methanol facility, located in the Delfzijl chemical park in Farmsum, has the capacity to combine hydrogen and biogenic CO2 to produce e-methanol.
- The plants of ENGIE (production) and OCI/BioMCN (offtake) will be connected to the hydrogen network that Gasunie is developing throughout the Netherlands and Northern Germany. The vast majority of the national network for hydrogen will consist of pipelines currently used for natural gas transportation.
Obtaining the necessary financial support and government approvals for the project are key priorities. To this end, the project has already applied for grants from the European authorities (Innovation Fund).
The long-term vision is for HyNL to play an increasingly important role in the decarbonisation of industrial and transportation sectors in the region, with plans to scale up electrolyser production capacity from 100MW in 2025 to 1.85 GW in the early 2030s.
‘We are delighted to be part of HYNL together with EEW and OCI. The project contributes materially to meeting the CO2 emission reduction objectives on a national scale. The HyNL roadmap paves the way towards an effective European renewable energy hub and will offer a decarbonisation solution to multiple industry sectors with a high carbon footprint.’ Cedric Osterrieth – Managing Director ENGIE Thermal Europe
‘Methanol is one of the most effective green hydrogen carriers and will be key to the development of the hydrogen economy in the Netherlands and Europe. The flexibility of OCI’s production assets to switch to green hydrogen can enable expedited and scalable industry decarbonisation and will simultaneously help lower Europe’s reliance on imported natural gas’ Ahmed El-Hoshy – CEO OCI N.V.
‘The project will not only ensure circularity by utilising biogenic CO2 from non-recyclable waste, but will overall avoid 140 kilotonnes of CO2 per year from the end of 2025 by producing e-methanol and hydrogen based on renewables instead of fossil fuels.’ Bernard Kemper – CEO EEW
More information can be found: www.hynetherlands.nl
About ENGIE
Our group is a global reference in low-carbon energy and services. Together with our 170,000 employees, our customers, partners, and stakeholders, we are committed to accelerate the transition towards a carbon-neutral world through reduced energy consumption and more environmentally friendly solutions. Inspired by our purpose (‘raison d’être’), we reconcile economic performance with a positive impact on people and the planet, building on our key businesses (gas, renewable energy, services) to offer competitive solutions to our customers.
ENGIE’s turnover in 2021 was 57.9 billion Euros. The Group is listed on the Paris and Brussels stock exchanges (ENGIE) and is represented in the main financial indices (CAC 40, Euronext 100, FTSE Eurotop 100, MSCI Europe) and non-financial indices (DJSI World, DJSI Europe, Euronext Vigeo Eiris – Eurozone 120 / Europe 120 / France 20, MSCI EMU ESG screened, MSCI EUROPE ESG Universal Select, Stoxx Europe 600 ESG, and Stoxx Global 1800 ESG).
About OCI
OCI is a leading global producer and distributor of nitrogen products providing sustainable solutions to agricultural and industrial customers around the world. OCI’s production capacity spans four continents and comprises approximately 16.1 million metric tons per year of nitrogen fertilisers, methanol, diesel exhaust fluid, melamine, and other nitrogen products. Currently, OCI employs approximately 3,600 people and is listed on Euronext in Amsterdam under the name ‘OCI’.
About EEW
EEW Energy from Waste GmbH (EEW) is one of the leading companies in Europe in the field of thermal recovery of household and commercial waste as well as sewage sludge. Already today, EEW is making an important contribution towards protecting the climate and resources and is a cornerstone of the circular economy. In the 17 modern facilities currently operating within our corporate group, we are able to process around five million tonnes of waste per year. During this process, our 1,250 employees reduce the volume significantly, sanitise the waste, and recycle scrap metals and agglomerates. Moreover, we make efficient use of the energy contained in the waste and generate steam for industrial plants, district heating for residential areas, and environmentally sustainable power for approximately 720,000 households.
Contacts:
ENGIE Energie Nederland
Isabelle Kuper, woordvoerder
T: +31 (0)610560274
E: isabelle.kuper@engie.com
OCI
Hans Zayed
T: +31 (0)618251367
E: hans.zayed@oci.nl
EEW
Léon Dirrix, spokesman EEW Delfzijl
T: +31 (0)627305701
E: leon.dirrix(at)eew-energyfromwaste.com