ENGIE’s Hynetherlands project leverages the green hydrogen value chain for decarbonization of industries and heavy mobility in the Netherlands

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The Eems electricity power plant in the Netherlands, located in a region that is home to the chemical industry wanted to put an end to the extraction of natural gas.

The ENGIE Solution: HyNetherlands project, a carbon-free ecosystem enabled by renewable hydrogen

In May 2022, ENGIE, OCI, Europe’s leading producer of methanol, and EEW, a leading company in the production of electricity and heat from waste-to-energy, announced collaboration on the HyNetherlands (HyNL) project, in the north of the Netherlands (province of Groningen). The project aims to develop, build and operate one of the first large-scale industrial value chains in Europe for the production of e-methanol, combining renewable hydrogen and biogenic CO2 in the northeastern region of the Netherlands.

The first phase of the project, will see the construction, on the site of the Eems power plant in Eemshaven, of a new 100 MW electrolysis facility, five times larger than the existing plants on the market. Fuelled by renewable electricity production from offshore wind fields in the North Sea, it will produce the renewable hydrogen needed to produce e-methanol and for the local mobility and industrial sectors.

The HyNL project, situated in the northern region of the Netherlands within Groningen province, establishes connectivity between three industrial sites:

ENGIE is constructing a groundbreaking 100 MW electrolyzer installation at the Eems power plant in Eemshaven, surpassing existing market models by fivefold. Renewable electricity from offshore wind fields in the North Sea will power the facility, supplying hydrogen to OCI. ENGIE is responsible for coordinating, developing, delivering, and maintaining the HyNetherlands project.
The waste-to-energy plant in Farmsum, which will incorporate EEW’s carbon capture plant to capture biogenic CO2 from the plant’s production lines. Groningen Seaports will provide CO2 logistics and infrastructure.
OCI’s BioMCN subsidiary will establish its methanol facility in the Delfzijl Chemical Park in Farmsum, where it will produce e-methanol by combining hydrogen and biogenic CO2.

Gasunie’s hydrogen network spanning the Netherlands and northern Germany will link the ENGIE and OCI/BioMCN facilities. Initially designed for natural gas transportation, this network will convey hydrogen to nearby chemical plants, which will utilize it as a raw material to decarbonize their operations. Additionally, the hydrogen will serve as fuel for heavy-duty vehicles and local passenger trains.