Masdar and Dutch companies Port of Amsterdam, SkyNRG, Evos Amsterdam, and Zenith Energy Terminals recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for developing a green hydrogen supply chain through Amsterdam. This green hydrogen could be used for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), steelmaking, shipping, and wider offtake opportunities. Exploring the developments would also support the Dutch and European markets.
The MOU was signed by Masdar CEO Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi; Port of Amsterdam International Managing Director Gert-Jan Nieuwenhuizen; SkyNRG chief development officer Maarten van Dijk; Evos business development manager Bart van der Meer, and; Zenith Energy Terminals managing director for new energies Ellen Ruhotas. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, COP28 President-Designate, and Masdar chair, and Wopke Hoekstra, Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Netherlands, signed the agreement.
The Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) is UAE’s clean energy champion and one of the largest companies of its kind in the world, advancing the development and deployment of renewable energy and green hydrogen technologies to address global sustainability challenges. Established in 2006, Masdar is active in over 40 countries today, helping it achieve its clean energy objectives and advance sustainable development. Masdar is jointly owned by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc), Mubadala Investment Company (Mubadala), and Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA), and under this ownership, the company is targeting a renewable energy portfolio capacity of at least 100 gigawatts by 2030 and an annual green hydrogen production capacity of up to 1 million tons by the same year.
“This agreement builds upon the relationship between the UAE and the Netherlands and demonstrates our mutual commitment to exploring low- and zero-carbon energy solutions. The UAE aims to play a central role in the emerging green hydrogen economy. This partnership with the Port of Amsterdam and associated players in the green hydrogen space would help position Abu Dhabi as a key hub for green hydrogen development,” said Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber.
The Port of Amsterdam, meantime, 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 and local urban distribution. The port focuses on the growth of bio- and synthetic fuels, hydrogen activities, circular industry, and manufacturing. Western Europe’s fourth largest 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. The port works intensively with clients and partners to make it operate faster, smarter, and cleaner.
Hoekstra shared, “The Netherlands is keen on developing green hydrogen corridors with major future exporting countries like the UAE. Our country is well-positioned to become a hydrogen hub for the northwestern European market. I welcome the collaboration between Dutch and UAE businesses in the field of hydrogen, and look forward to further intensifying the cooperation between our two countries.”
Under the MOU, the parties will join their efforts to develop a green hydrogen supply chain, focusing on production in Abu Dhabi and export to the Netherlands through the port of Amsterdam. The exported green hydrogen will be delivered to key European sectors—SAF, steelmaking, and bunkering for shipping—and supplied to new, emerging European off-takers via pipeline, truck, and barge. The parties will explore several hydrogen transportation methods, focusing on liquid organic hydrogen carriers and liquid hydrogen.
Masdar CEO Jameel Al Ramahi shared, “Masdar believes green hydrogen to be a promising energy source for hard-to-abate sectors in support of global decarbonization, which is why we (recently) launched our dedicated green hydrogen business. We are pleased to partner with Port of Amsterdam, SkyNRG, Evos Amsterdam, and Zenith Energy Terminals to leverage our synergies in the fuel and logistics sectors to see how green hydrogen can help us achieve our shared goals for decarbonization and sustainable economic growth.”
Network of SAF production facilities
Port of Amsterdam is committed to scaling up green hydrogen capabilities and is working closely with commercial parties active in its port on green hydrogen development. SkyNRG, a global leader in SAF, is developing a network of SAF production facilities that require green hydrogen as input. Zenith Energy Terminals and Evos Amsterdam are the operators of some of the port’s most prominent blending and storage terminals; Zenith is developing a liquid hydrogen supply chain, while Evos Amsterdam is working on a liquid organic hydrogen carrier supply chain.
Since 2009, SkyNRG has been a global leader in SAF. The company is dedicated to increasing the industry’s SAF demand and production capacity to meet its 2050 net zero commitment. SkyNRG has supplied SAF to over 40 airlines and more than 70 corporates worldwide and is now developing dedicated SAF production facilities to support the transition from fossil jet fuel to SAF.
On the other hand, Zenith Energy Terminals is a world-class midstream company that owns and operates over 5 million cubic meters of renewable fuels, crude oil, petroleum products, chemicals, and gas storage across North America, Europe, and Latin America through its subsidiaries Zenith International and Zenith US. The company focuses on building a sustainable, independent liquid storage terminal business that provides safe and reliable solutions for its customers in the future. The entities share a common management team, headquarters in Houston, and core values, including Safety First and Environmental Protection.
As for Evos, it 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), 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.
Koen Overtoom, Port of Amsterdam CEO, said, “We are very pleased with this new collaboration. SkyNRG, Evos, and Zenith Energy Terminals are driving forces behind the hydrogen developments in the port of Amsterdam, and they are key to our goal of importing at least 1 million tons of green hydrogen annually. Joining forces with a party as renowned as Masdar will bring this goal that much closer to realization. Together, we can bring the envisioned Abu Dhabi-Amsterdam connection to fruition.”
Green hydrogen from renewable sources
Green hydrogen is produced with green electricity from renewables like wind or solar, separating water into oxygen and hydrogen via electrolysis. The International Renewable Energy Agency has stated that hydrogen will be an essential component of a net-zero energy system. It has a key role in decarbonizing sectors that are difficult to electrify, such as heavy industry and long-haul transport. The global green hydrogen market is projected to reach $72 billion by 2030, while PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) has estimated that 2050 hydrogen demand could be between 150 to 500 million metric tons per year.
Last December, Masdar announced its new shareholding structure and green hydrogen business unit to achieve 100 GW renewable energy capacity and green hydrogen production of 1 million tons annually by 2030. Masdar is actively involved in several projects related to green hydrogen production. Last year, Masdar signed agreements with leading Egyptian state-backed organizations to cooperate on developing green hydrogen production plants in the country, targeting an electrolyzer capacity of 4 gigawatts by 2030 and an output of up to 480,000 tons of green hydrogen per year. (Story and photo courtesy of SkyNRG)