Tennet Shows With Hydrogen That It Is Possible: ‘the Threshold Has Been Lowered’.
Ruud Meuwissen does not know exactly when the turning point will come. But the use of green hydrogen on a larger scale? That moment is coming, according to the project manager at grid operator TenneT, perhaps sooner than we think. ‘The market wants it, that’s not the problem. It is mainly up to us as clients. A small push and a lot will start moving.’
Understanding interests
Meuwissen knows what he is talking about. Especially after the ground drilling by TenneT, close to Bergen op Zoom and right next to a Natura 2000 area. Emitting nitrogen there was a no-no . It had to be emission-free, through a project that was as green as possible. And how nice is it, says Meuwissen, if you can do that with parties who understand the interests. Who adopt a proactive attitude and simply understand that there is a joint assignment. That is why he prefers to call them partners rather than suppliers. ‘I never felt for a moment that we at TenneT had to take the lead. In fact, that cart was pushed hard on all sides.’
‘We have gone from a pilot to a proven technology.’
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Electric drilling
The drilling took place in early 2024, lasted about two weeks and was in the hands of A.Hak. The contractor himself used an electric earth drill. And called on Genpower for the power supply, which supplied, among other things, three hydrogen generators and a battery pack. These were connected in parallel, so that together they offered a peak power of 450 to 500 kVA. A unique set-up,
Marcel Kwakkel of Genpower:
We have been working with A.Hak for a long time and knew the specifications. But this arrangement was new, especially on such a large scale.
Hundreds of kilos of hydrogen
Genpower tested the setup at its own location in Groot-Ammers, South Holland. That turned out well, technically it would work. Anyway, after that the line-up had to go to Bergen op Zoom. And that in combination with an amount of 600 kilos of hydrogen. No mean feat, says Kwakkel. ‘This involved a large quantity of hydrogen, spread over several containers. How to get all that on location?’
From gray to green
Kwakkel asked the same question to Paul Bombeld, innovation manager at Kuster Energy in Gelderland. This supplies, among other things, green hydrogen, but not on a scale such as that for the drilling at Bergen op Zoom. It was certainly challenging, says Bombeld. ‘Just think about availability. For a long time it seemed that we would have to move towards gray hydrogen. Until sufficient green hydrogen was released, supplied from Groningen.’ Bombeld is enthusiastic about the fact that TenneT chose this. ‘With gray hydrogen, only the construction site would have been emission-free. Now we look back on a project with an emission-free chain.’
Large-scale transfer awaits.
The transport to Bergen op Zoom was via containers on three trucks, which themselves ran on biodiesel HVO100. A sustainable solution, Bombeld emphasizes, there was no COÂ 2Â emissions. But still, how long does the innovation manager think it will take before we switch to hydrogen for transport on a large scale? ‘The technology works, but is relatively new. That raises questions, I still notice.’
Room for innovation
According to Bombeld, take the safety aspect alone. How important this is was evident from the application for the necessary permits, which involves a lot. The parties therefore engaged hydrogen company Twinning Energy, which led to permission from the province of North Brabant. ‘Twinning Energy has done an excellent job [1] ‘, says Bombeld. ‘On the other hand: it is also up to the government to think outside the box. To think along and create space for innovation.’
Power becomes strategic
Speaking about that innovation: developments are moving fast, notes Marcel Kwakkel of Genpower. ‘Especially now that zero emissions is increasingly a requirement. While electricity has long been an operational asset, it is now increasingly becoming a strategic component.’ According to Kwakkel, if a project involving hydrogen is to be successful, it will require thorough cooperation between all parties involved. ‘That also applied to this project, which included investments in equipment. Moreover, a client is needed who dares to stick his neck out. And TenneT has absolutely done that here.’
Goes further than the agreement extends
Certainly, TenneT signed the Clean and Emission-Free Construction covenant at the end of 2023. With which the network operator committed itself to the goal of contributing to the sustainability of construction equipment. The drilling at Bergen op Zoom fits in seamlessly with this. But still, in the end there is more than just the covenant, says Ruud Meuwissen. ‘Call it a mindset. It’s also a matter of getting used to, to make sustainability even more integrated into the genes. With us as a company, and certainly outside it as well.’
Project was pioneering
Although the drilling was successful, this was not certain in advance.
Ruud Meuwissen, said:
We have discussed many options to carry out this project as sustainably as possible.
‘That’s how we ended up with hydrogen, even though we had never worked with it before. So that was pioneering, although I think we have lowered the threshold considerably. We have gone from a pilot to a proven technology with the drilling. A solution such as in Bergen op Zoom is compact and makes a significant contribution to further electrification. And we now know: it is simply feasible.’
‘A solution such as in Bergen op Zoom is compact and makes a significant contribution to further electrification. And we now know: it is simply feasible.’
Showcases wanted
Paul Bombeld agrees with those words. Well, a solution with green hydrogen is still more expensive than working with diesel generators. But, Bombeld notes, that seems like a matter of time. If demand increases, economies of scale should ensure that green hydrogen becomes financially more attractive. ‘That’s why we need more showcases. Projects with which we show what is already possible. And the only way to ensure that is to just get started. Just like we did here.”
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Tennet Shows With Hydrogen That It Is Possible: ‘the Threshold Has Been Lowered’. source
