Energy transition

Highlights: Top 15 energy transition projects

18 June 2024
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A CO2 neutral port by 2050: that is our goal. So which projects are already up and running? And which projects are going to really make a difference? Check out the top 15 energy and raw material transition projects of 2024, in random order.

Go directly to one of the 15 projects:

  1. WarmtelinQ
  2. Porthos
  3. Rotterdam hydrogen pipeline
  4. Delta Rhine Corridor
  5. Sea wind reaches land
  6. Sif expansion
  7. Holland Hydrogen 1
  8. Power grid upgrade
  9. Importing hydrogen
  10. Shell biofuels refinery
  11. Neste biofuels refinery
  12. ZES making inland shipping even more sustainable
  13. Shore power
  14. SK tes
  15. Pryme
Construction of Warmtelinq

WarmtelinQ

WarmtelinQ is the underground pipeline used to transport residual heat from the port of Rotterdam to The Hague to heat homes and businesses. The pipeline is now being constructed.

Porthos

Porthos is developing a project to transport CO2 from industrial companies in the port of Rotterdam and store it in empty gas fields under the North Sea. Thanks to Porthos, some 2.5 million tonnes of CO2 will be captured annually and stored permanently. CO2 storage is therefore an essential measure through which industrial companies are contributing to the Dutch climate targets. The construction of Porthos began in 2024. Porthos is expected to be operational from 2026 onwards.

Porthos drilling under the quays
Porthos platform at sea
Launch of hydrogen network construction

Rotterdam hydrogen pipeline

The Port of Rotterdam Authority and Gasunie are working together to develop a new hydrogen pipeline which will form the backbone of the future hydrogen infrastructure in Europe’s largest port. The pipeline is currently being constructed. The parties are planning to start using the main pipeline in the port in 2025. Companies wishing to use or produce hydrogen are welcome to connect to this open access hydrogen pipeline.

Construction of the Delta Rhine Corridor

Delta Rhine Corridor

The Port of Rotterdam Authority and various industry partners support the development of the Delta Corridor project, which consists of a bundle of pipelines connecting the port of Rotterdam, Chemelot, Moerdijk and the German Rhineland.

TenneT offshore wind landfall point
Photo: Martens Multimedia

Sea wind reaches land

The Hollandse Kust Zuid offshore wind farm has now been connected to the Rotterdam high-voltage grid. Between now and 2030, it will be joined by two further offshore wind farms: IJmuiden Ver (plot 3-6) and Nederwiek (plot 2). In total, these offshore wind farms together will provide 7.4 GW of capacity.

Sif expansion

Sif is expanding production capacity for wind turbine foundations. The company is building a new factory on the Maasvlakte to construct foundations for even larger offshore wind turbines. These monopiles – steel foundation piles for offshore wind turbines – represent an important contribution by Sif to greater sustainability in the Netherlands.

Monopiles at Sif
Artist impression of Holland Hydrogen 1
Beeld: Plotvis

Holland Hydrogen 1

Construction of Europe’s largest green hydrogen plant is underway at the Maasvlakte conversion park. The 200 MW electrolyser will be built on the Maasvlakte in the port of Rotterdam and will be able to produce 60,000 kilograms of renewable hydrogen per day from 2025 onwards.

Strengthening the power grid

Power grid upgrade

TenneT and Stedin are carrying out a series of projects to upgrade the power grid to ensure that industrial companies have enough (green) power to become more sustainable.

Artist impression of a hydrogen tanker

Importing hydrogen

Projects are underway with several dozen countries and regions to initiate hydrogen imports. Energy-intensive industries (such as some of the chemical and refining industries) need an effective renewable substitute for natural gas, and that is hydrogen. For this reason, high levels of hydrogen demand are expected from customers in Northwest Europe.

Shell in Pernis

Shell biofuels refinery

Shell is building a large biofuels plant in Pernis, mainly aimed at producing sustainable fuel for aviation. The use of fuels from this plant will lead to a 2.8 Mton reduction in CO2 emissions compared to the use of fossil kerosene and diesel.

Artist impression of the Neste factory

Neste biofuels refinery

On the Maasvlakte, Neste is building a new biofuel plant, primarily to produce sustainable fuel for aviation. It is scheduled to enter operation in 2026.

ZES container is placed on a ship

ZES making inland shipping even more sustainable

Zero Emission Services (ZES) makes sustainable inland navigation possible with exchangeable energy containers. The first Dutch inland vessel to use ZES for propulsion is the Alphenaar. The vessel sails between Alphen aan den Rijn and Moerdijk for Heineken brewery, the first end customer of ZES.

Shore power

Shore power for shipping is being developed at several sites. Construction has started at the cruise terminal. Using shore power reduces not only CO2 , but also nitrogen and particulate matter emissions. On top of that, noise levels from docked cruise ships also decline significantly.

Shore power connection at the DFDS terminal
Inside the TES factory

SK tes

SK tes, one of the world's largest companies for recycling batteries and electronic waste, continues to build on its’ new plant in the port of Rotterdam.
Read the article and watch the video.

Pryme

Pryme recycles plastic waste into new raw material for the chemical industry. Pryme launched its first plant in early 2024. It is capable of converting 40,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year into 30,000 tonnes of pyrolysis oil.

All projects on the map

In addition to the 15 projects in the overview, many more energy and raw material transition projects are underway at the port. More than 80 initiatives in the energy and raw material transition have been compiled on an interactive map.