Six Rotterdam-based parties will research how sustainably generated electricity, converted into hydrogen, can be used in the production of fuels.
TNO, Stedin, Smartport, Uniper, BP Refinery Rotterdam and the Port of Rotterdam Authority will investigate the technical and economic feasibility of a power-to-gas plant in the Rotterdam port area, as well as the necessary amendments to regulations. They signed a cooperation agreement to this end on 18 January.
From Green Electricity to Hydrogen
The increasing number of wind farms in the North Sea will deliver ever more 'green electricity', some of which will end up at the Maasvlakte. Using electrolysis, this electricity can split water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen. The latter can be used as a transport fuel or added to the gas grid.
An advantage of hydrogen is that it can be stored more easily than electricity, which allows peaks in the production of wind and solar energy to be absorbed. In addition, hydrogen is used in industrial processes, such as those this research focuses on.
BP Refinery
Oil refining and the production of fuels in particular now require a lot of fossil energy sources. It will be investigated whether it is commercially feasible to build a power to gas unit that can convert sustainably generated electricity into hydrogen and use this in the production process of the BP refinery in Rotterdam.
The research should be completed by mid-2017. By then main challenges, modifications required to BP’s production process, legal and regulatory hurdles and business case should be clear.
