The Importance of Public – Private Partnership to Realize the International Hydrogen Market
As H2A we are fully focused on positioning the North Sea Canal Area as a key hub for green hydrogen import into Northwest Europe. In collaboration with all partners, the proposition is gaining traction, with increasing visibility among Dutch government stakeholders.
In 2023, former Minister of Climate and Green Growth Rob Jetten outlined a national vision to establish the Netherlands as a leading hydrogen import hub. The policy emphasized the strategic role of Dutch ports in securing future energy supply, acknowledging that domestic production alone will not meet future demand. Since then, the government has laid the foundation for various international hydrogen corridors, signing over 20 MoU’s (Memoranda of Understanding) with countries such as Norway, Australia, Spain, India, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Morocco. These countries are important strategic partners, due to their optimal conditions for green energy production, namely the natural availability of sun and wind.
Recent state visits to the Port of Amsterdam from Spain and Oman underscore Amsterdam’s relevance, both nationally and internationally, with companies such as Hydrom (Oman) and Petronor (Spain) recognizing its potential for import and off-take. Beyond Europe and the Middle East, interest in producing and exporting to Amsterdam is also increasing, with companies such as ACWA (Saudi Arabia), Newfoundland and Labrador (Canada), and Gen2Energy (Norway) acknowledging its strategic role.
H2A recognizes and welcomes the efforts made by the Dutch government and European Commission to leverage the strategic role of ports for energy security. And as hydrogen moves toward commercialization, public-private alliance is now more important than ever. For the upcoming years, we intend to keep working closely with the Dutch and European governmental bodies to realize the supply of hydrogen to the Netherlands and Northwest Europe. See below an overview of our key government partners in the Hague and Brussels.
The Ministry of Climate and Green Growth plays a central role in shaping the Netherlands’ hydrogen strategy, with a strong focus on national energy security and climate goals. The ministry supports international hydrogen supply chains and technologies such as ammonia crackers and LOHCs (including certification schemes). Also, the ministry provides programmes for financial support, to bridge the gap between the production costs and off take price willingness.
The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management is responsible for the safe and efficient transport and storage of hydrogen and its derivatives, particularly via maritime and inland routes. It collaborates with the Ministry of Climate and Green Growth on logistics and safety standards for hydrogen carriers. IenW also supports hydrogen off take in mobility, an example are the refuelling infrastructure and pilot projects at Schiphol Airport. Additionally, the ministry is involved in aviation innovation and explores hydrogen-powered flight technologies and certification pathways.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through its Foreign Trade and Development department, promotes hydrogen diplomacy and international trade. It implements bilateral agreements with hydrogen-exporting countries and supports Dutch companies abroad through trade missions, matchmaking events, and high-level CEO roundtables. It helps position the Netherlands as a global hydrogen hub by showcasing Dutch expertise and facilitating international collaboration.
In the Ministry of Defence ‘Defence Energy and Environment Strategy’ from 2019-2022, the ministry set a goal to depend 70% less on fossil fuels in 2050. The ministry faces the challenge of investing in the defense material and infrastructure. This requires a safe and secure supply of energy to operate the growing capacity of ships, tanks, drones and aircrafts. Hydrogen will play in role in this growing demand for energy.
The Ministry of Finance plays a strategic role in enabling hydrogen investments. It coordinates national funding and EU-backed programmes such as IPCEI (Important Projects of Common European Interest) and oversees financial institutions such as Invest NL, Invest International and Atradius, which provide blended finance and export credit insurance to promote trade activities in the hydrogen infrastructure.
An important role for the ministry of Finance is being the shareholder of infrastructural company Gasunie. With their unique expertise on national pipeline infrastructure, Gasunie focuses on rebuilding a national pipeline network for hydrogen (and Co2), hereby connecting the producers and off-takers . This helps to incentivize production and creates certainy for the off-take industry, which is needed to solve the ‘chicken – egg’ problem.
The European Commission is also keen on solving this issue and thus bindings targets for the use of renewables, including hydrogen, through the RED III strategy. Mandatory RFNBO quotas for the industry and transport fuels now exist, to create a guaranteed demand.