Air Liquide has made the final investment decision (FID) for the construction of ELYgator, a plant for the production of renewable hydrogen in Maasvlakte, Rotterdam, Netherlands. The plant, an electrolyser that splits water in order to produce hydrogen, will have a capacity of 200 MW. The ELYgator will be operational by the end of 2027. For the port of Rotterdam, this is an important step in the transition to a CO2-neutral port.
Electricity from wind farms in the North Sea is used to produce renewable hydrogen. There is space for four of these large electrolysers on this special industrial site. The one from Air Liquide is the second to be built. The investment amounts to more than €500 million. The ELYgator will produce 23,000 tonnes of hydrogen per year for use by the industry and heavy transport. According to Air Liquide, this will lead to a CO2 reduction of 300,000 tonnes per year.
Air Liquide has indicated that the recently adjusted regulations for the use of hydrogen (the so-called ‘refinery route’) and subsidies from the Dutch government and the EU were crucial for the realization of the project.
