Port of Rotterdam expands hydrogen and carbon capture infrastructure, aiming to become northwest Europe’s leading clean energy and industrial hub.
The Port of Rotterdam is accelerating its transition into a major clean energy and low-carbon industrial hub for northwest Europe through extensive investments in hydrogen infrastructure and carbon capture technologies. According to the Port of Rotterdam Authority, the strategy focuses on establishing an integrated ecosystem for the production, import, transportation and use of hydrogen, while also reducing industrial emissions through large-scale carbon storage initiatives.
The port’s long-term vision includes both green hydrogen, generated using renewable electricity, and blue hydrogen, produced from natural gas combined with carbon capture and storage (CCS). These solutions are aimed at supporting industries that are difficult to electrify directly, such as steel manufacturing, chemical production, shipping and aviation. Rotterdam believes hydrogen will play a crucial role in helping these sectors lower carbon emissions while maintaining industrial competitiveness.
One of the flagship developments within the port is Shell’s Holland Hydrogen 1 project. The 200-megawatt renewable hydrogen facility is expected to begin gradually ramping up operations in 2027. Once fully operational, the plant is designed to produce as much as 60,000 kilograms of renewable hydrogen per day. The project is considered a major milestone in Europe’s growing hydrogen economy and is expected to supply cleaner fuel to industrial users and transport applications.
Alongside hydrogen production, Rotterdam is also advancing the Porthos carbon capture and storage project. The initiative is designed to transport and permanently store approximately 37 million tonnes of carbon dioxide generated by industrial facilities in the port area. Captured CO2 will be transported through a dedicated infrastructure system and injected into depleted gas reservoirs located beneath the North Sea. The project is viewed as an essential step toward reducing emissions from existing industrial operations while cleaner technologies continue to scale up.
The development of hydrogen transport infrastructure is also progressing rapidly. The first segment of the Dutch national hydrogen backbone has already been completed within the Rotterdam port region. This section includes a 32-kilometre pipeline connecting hydrogen production plants with major industrial clusters. Construction of the broader national hydrogen network started in Rotterdam in 2023, reflecting the port’s central role in the Netherlands’ energy transition plans.
The initial Rotterdam pipeline section is expected to become operational in 2026. Future connections are planned to major industrial regions such as Chemelot in the Netherlands and North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany by 2030, strengthening cross-border hydrogen distribution across Europe.
Rotterdam is additionally expanding its hydrogen import capabilities through carriers such as ammonia, methanol and liquid organic hydrogen carriers. By combining domestic production, imports, industrial demand and transport infrastructure, the port aims to establish a fully integrated hydrogen market serving northwest Europe.
The Port of Rotterdam Authority oversees the management and development of the port and industrial zone, with ownership shared between the Municipality of Rotterdam and the Dutch government. Companies involved in the broader transition include Shell, a global energy and petrochemicals company, Porthos, the CCS infrastructure developer, and Air Products, which supplies industrial gases and energy technologies worldwide.
