Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Cepsa will supply green ammonia to a planned import terminal in the Port of Rotterdam, which will be converted into hydrogen for end use in shipping and other industries across Northwest Europe.
The agreement between the companies is intended to lead to a binding commercial agreement to facilitate the oversea transport of green ammonia for redistribution to end markets.
Coming after Cepsa in December (2022) announced it would invest over €3bn ($3.2bn) to establish two green hydrogen plants, each with 1GW of capacity, in southern Spain, the company has recently made strides in the hydrogen industry, signing several agreements across the value chain.
Read more: Spain’s Cepsa to invest €3bn to create ‘largest’ green hydrogen hub in Europe
Gasunie, HES International, and Vopak in April (2022) partnered to create ACE Terminal as an entry point for ammonia as a carrier for green hydrogen as a sustainable feedstock into the Netherlands.
With plans to reuse assets and infrastructure, the Port of Rotterdam-based terminal is hoped to offer a short time to market.
Additionally, the partners say the location of the ACE Terminal offers direct connection to Rotterdam’s industry and the planned national hydrogen network, as well as connection to the wide infrastructure into Northwest Europe.
Cepsa aims to kickstart the green hydrogen exports from Spain in 2027, aligned with the ACE Terminal project timeline.
“Partnerships like these are examples of the collaboration needed across Europe to ensure energy security without jeopardising climate targets, and the important role that Cepsa and Spain, can and must play in this journey,” said Maarten Wetselaar, CEO of Cepsa.
Egbert Vrijen, Project Director of ACE Terminal, commented, “We are delighted that Cepsa has stepped forward and has chosen ACE Terminal. We hope that in addition to Cepsa, more parties will join our open access ammonia/hydrogen import terminal in the Port of Rotterdam.”
In May last year (2022), the Port of Rotterdam Authority said it could supply the European continent with 4.6 megatonnes of hydrogen annually by 2030.
Read more: Port of Rotterdam could be situated to provide 4.6 megatonnes of hydrogen annually by 2030
Coming in support of the partnership, Rob Jetten, Dutch Minister for Climate and Energy, said the agreement constituted a significant milestone for the European Hydrogen Strategy in developing hydrogen corridors between south and north Europe.
Jetten said, “This will enable us to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and to achieve the Dutch decarbonisation and climate goals.”
A Successful Ecosystem for Green Hydrogen – London
It is becoming ever clearer that the entire green hydrogen ecosystem requires alignment. Hydrogen’s potential, performance, and safety are proven. Green hydrogen is widely accepted as a core pathway to Net Zero, yet the key levers in the transition are not yet in-sync.
At H2 View we recognise the increasingly challenging economic climate that various countries/economies are currently facing. We want to help as many companies as possible in the hydrogen space to achieve their needs as competitively and logically as possible. As a result, we felt it was a compelling decision to relocate our previously planned event in Iceland, to a venue in London.
Join H2 View in London, one of the foremost investment capitals of the world, for a 1.5-day event devoted to thought leadership, insights, and actionable takeaways in the green hydrogen ecosystem, combined with the connections and networking to deliver against those objectives.
This H2 View hydrogen summit is dedicated to dissecting the ecosystem requirements to truly realise a green hydrogen-fuelled future across industries, transport, and society. This event will tackle all sides of the energy ecosystem, from wind and solar power requirements to additionality, water sustainability, electrolyser technologies, and investment and policy climate.
You can find more information at h2-viewevents.com.