- Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Port of Bilbao, Port of Amsterdam, duisport, Petronor, Evos Amsterdam, Zenith Energy Terminals and EVE (Basque Energy Agency) to jointly explore the possibility of realising an end-to-end hydrogen corridor connecting Spain, the Netherlands and Germany
- Joint Study Agreement (JSA) signed between duisport and Port of Amsterdam to conduct a detailed study on all aspects related to establishing a resilient supply chain for hydrogen between Amsterdam and the Rhine-Ruhr region
Port of Bilbao, Port of Amsterdam and duisport, together with the Energy Agency of the Basque Government, Petronor, Evos Amsterdam and Zenith Energy Terminals, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore the development of an intra-European corridor for renewable hydrogen. The MoU follows the ambitions of the European Union to establish such intra-European corridors, with the Spanish, German and Dutch governments playing a prominent role in their realisation.
This agreement, as well as a Joint Study Agreement (JSA), were signed during the H2 Connecting Event in Duisburg in the presence of His Majesty the King of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander, State Secretary for Energy in the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Philipp Nimmermann, State Secretary for the Extractive Industries in the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Change, Hans Vijlbrief, Prime Minister of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hendrik Wüst and Deputy Premier and Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Mona Neubaur as official witnesses.
The MoU builds on an agreement concluded earlier this year between Bilbao and Amsterdam, with the specific aim of initiating a viable corridor that allows for Basque produced renewable hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives to be exported to the port of Amsterdam for local offtake. With the addition of duisport, this corridor can be extended, with port of Amsterdam transforming into the gateway to the German market, opening up the possibility to supply Basque hydrogen to the large industrial offtakers located in the Rhine-Ruhr region.
As part of their cooperation, the parties will focus on production of renewable hydrogen by Petronor in the Basque Country, identification of offtake potential and demand centres in Duisburg and its surrounding industrial regions, as well as an evaluation of transportation, storage and distribution methods to provide solutions to secure the supply of renewable hydrogen and its derivatives to the respective end-users. Andima Ormaetxe Bengoa, Director Operations, Commercial and Logistics of Port of Bilbao, said: “Port of Bilbao is one of the four ports ranked as first level by Spanish Ports National Institution, leading the environmental policies in Spain. Port of Bilbao is also a hub for short sea shipping, facilitating around 30% of trade between Spain and Europe. It is our aim to become carbon neutral by 2050 and therefore green corridors between Bilbao, the Netherlands and Germany are of importance to help decarbonize, not only the Basque Country Industry, but also other industrial regions within Europe.”
An important part of this supply chain is the transport and distribution of renewable hydrogen between the ports of Amsterdam and Duisburg. To this end, Port of Amsterdam and duisport signed the aforementioned JSA, with the specific aim of realising a resilient supply chain, by assessing elements such as technical and financial requirements, transport modalities, and infrastructure. The JSA seeks to build on the close cooperation between the German and Dutch governments on creating connections for the transhipment of hydrogen from the Netherlands to Germany.
Duisport is Europe’s largest inland port and aims to become a European hydrogen hub, with a pioneering role in the utilisation of new energy sources for climate-neutral port and terminal operations. Markus Bangen, CEO of duisport, said: "By expanding this trusting cooperation, we are sending an important signal for cross-border collaboration: only by working together we can master global challenges such as the energy transition and quickly develop a Europe-wide hydrogen network. The aim is to work at full speed to make the transport chains between the western ports noticeably more resilient and to optimize the infrastructure. In this way, the Port of Duisburg is not only further expanding its function as a central logistics hub for Europe, but is also strengthening industry in the Rhine-Ruhr region and in NRW as a whole."
The ambition of Port of Amsterdam is to become, not only a key destination of imported renewable hydrogen and its derivatives, but also to serve as a transhipment hub to supply these to the German hinterland, mirroring the current role of the port of Amsterdam as a global energy hub. Dorine Bosman, Chief Investment Officer at Port of Amsterdam, stated: “As a partner, Port of Amsterdam is committed to contribute to the decarbonisation of industries within Europe. We believe that the development of these intra-European hydrogen corridors is essential. The port of Amsterdam has a key role to play as a conduit for hydrogen and e-fuels to the Rhine-Ruhr area. This supply is of vital strategic importance on a European level, which is why our shared focus with duisport on the resilience of the supply chain is crucial. This way, we can bring a corridor for hydrogen and e-fuels between a strong production region like the Basque Country and the port of Duisburg to life.”
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Andima Ormaetxe Bengoa, Director Operations, Commercial and Logistics of Port of Bilbao, Markus Bangen, CEO of duisport, Aitor Arzuaga Munsuri, Director General of Alba Emission Free Energy by Petronor, Iñigo Ansola Kareaga, General Manager of EVE (Basque Energy Agency), Gert-Jan Nieuwenhuizen, and Managing Director of Port of Amsterdam International, Ellen Ruhotas, Head of New Energies of Zenith Energy Terminals, Bart van der Meer, Business Development Manager New Energies of EVOS Group.
The Joint Study Agreement was signed by Gert-Jan Nieuwenhuizen, Managing Director of Port of Amsterdam International and Markus Bangen, CEO of duisport.
Both agreements were signed in the presence of HM Willem-Alexander, King of the Netherlands, State Secretary Nimmermann and State Secretary Vijlbrief, Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia Wüst and Deputy Premier Neubaur
About Port of Bilbao Authority
The Port Authority of Bilbao is the public agency responsible for development, management and operation of the Port of Bilbao, a large multipurpose port located in the Bay of Biscay. It is the most important port of the Atlantic Arc, as a result of its privileged location and well connected by sea, road and railway between the Iberian Peninsula and the rest of Europe. It’s the main port of Spain in maritime links with the UK and Europe. Also has connections with almost 900 ports all around the world, but mainly with the Atlantic ports of Europe. As a fully import/export Port, is the most important link between the industries of its hinterland and their needs of transport competitiveness for their commercial purposes. The Port of Bilbao Authority is fully concerned with the fight against the climate change and is the reference among the Spanish Ports System. As result of that, an Strategic Plan on Energetic Transition was developed to achieve the main goals of the European Green Deal and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
For more information, please visit: www.bilbaoport.eus
About Petronor
Petronor, which belongs to Repsol Group, represents the industrial vanguard of the oil sector and champions the spirit of tradition and closeness to the environment in which it is located, and to which it owes its productive strength. With a production potential of 12 million t/year, it is the largest refinery in Spain, and exports just over a third of its production. It employs 945 regular workers and has an induced employment of 6,200 people. Petronor contribute to sustainable development by placing its knowledge and technology at the service of the community for energy decarbonization, thus promoting the sustainability of socioeconomic development and accelerating projects aligned with its commitment for decarbonization to produce net-zero emissions fuels.
For more information, please visit: https://petronor.eus/es/
About EVE (Basque Energy Agency) of the Basque Government
EVE is the Basque Government’s energy agency, which is responsible for proposing energy strategies for the Basque Country, participating in developing these strategies and contributing to meet the defined targets. EVE has strong technical capacity, commitment, and leadership, which applies by directly engaging in public-private partnerships, including in projects that form a part of the hydrogen development in the Basque Country. EVE has developed the Basque Hydrogen Strategy, which seeks to leverage the position of the Basque Country an important industrial cluster and future producer of green hydrogen and e-fuels. This Strategy calls for the installation of 300 MW of electrolysis capacity and the annual production of 2,000 ton per year of synthetic fuels per 2030, as well as local hydrogen utilisation in the industrial, buildings and transportation and mobility sectors, amongst other goals.
For more information, please visit www.eve.es
About duisport
Duisburger Hafen AG owns and manages the Port of Duisburg, the world's largest inland port. For this port and logistics location, the duisport Group offers full service packages in the area of infra- and suprastructure, including relocation management. In addition, the subsidiaries also provide logistics services, such as the development and optimization of transport and logistics chains, rail freight services, building management, packaging and contract logistics.
For more information, please visit: www.duisport.de
About Port of Amsterdam
Port of Amsterdam aims to be a leading European seaport at the forefront of the transition to a sustainable society. The port is a logistics hub for international and national trade flows, as well as local urban distribution. The port focuses on growth of bio- and synthetic fuels, hydrogen activities, circular industry and manufacturing. Western Europe's fourth port delivers added value by employing 68,000 people at port and port-related companies. By innovating, the port is working towards a smoother and more transparent shipping process and reduced CO2 emissions from port and shipping. Port of Amsterdam is working intensively with clients and partners to make the port operate faster, smarter and cleaner. So a little better every day.
For more information, please visit www.portofamsterdam.com
About Zenith Energy Terminals
Zenith Energy Terminals is a world-class midstream company that owns and operates over 5 million cubic metres of renewable fuels, crude oil, petroleum products, chemicals and gas storage across North American, Europe and Latin America through its subsidiaries Zenith International and Zenith U.S. The Company’s focus is on building a sustainable, independent liquid storage terminals business that provides safe and reliable solutions for its customers in the years to come.
For more information, visit www.zenithterminals.com
About Evos
Evos is a leading liquid energy and chemicals storage company. It operates a network of leading tank terminals in strategic locations across Europe, with a combined storage capacity of 6.3 million cbm. The terminals are located in the Netherlands (Amsterdam (2x), Rotterdam, Terneuzen), Belgium (Ghent), Germany (Hamburg), Malta and Spain (Algeciras). Evos was founded in 2019 and is owned by investment funds managed by Igneo Infrastructure Partners, a long-term oriented infrastructure asset manager. Evos has a total headcount of 720 employees.
For more information, visit www.evos.eu