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The company Equinor will work with Linde Gas to produce blue hydrogen in the Dutch Eemshaven. The two parties are putting their signatures to a project called H2M Eemshaven, which will convert natural gas from Norway to hydrogen, and capture and store the resulting CO2 emissions. Blue hydrogen is more sustainable than gray hydrogen, but still more polluting than green.

The Eemshaven, where blue hydrogen will be produced starting in 2029. | Credit: Getty Images

Equinor is a Norwegian company that extracts energy from oil, natural gas and wind. Linde Gas supplies various types of industrial and medicinal gases and related equipment within the Benelux countries, including hydrogen gas. The two companies are now joining forces to produce blue hydrogen in Groningen's Eemshaven. The goal is to convert Norwegian natural gas into usable hydrogen, where they say 95 percent of the CO2 released will be stored under the seabed near the coast of Norway.

What is gray, blue and green hydrogen?

There are three variants of hydrogen production. Gray hydrogen is made with oil, gas or coal. This process produces hydrogen, but it also releases CO2. Because CO2 emissions have a negative impact on the climate, this is the most polluting form of hydrogen.

However, the CO2 released during the process can be captured and stored. This is blue hydrogen.

The most sustainable form is green hydrogen. This is produced using sustainably generated electricity, such as wind and sun. In a nutshell, by applying electrical current to water, it is split into hydrogen and oxygen. No CO2 is released during this process.

Launch at the end of 2028

Within the partnership, Equinor is responsible both for transporting and storing the CO2 and for marketing the blue hydrogen. Linde Gas regulates the construction and operation of the hydrogen plant and takes care of CO2 capture.

Production is expected to start by the end of 2028 or early 2029. The blue hydrogen plant will be connected to both Dutch and German pipelines.

Battolyser

Last year, Eemshaven was already enriched with a hydrogen development: the first Battolyser. This is a combination of an electrolyser (which produces hydrogen) and a battery. A demonstration unit of the Battolyser was placed at RWE's gas-fired Magnum power plant. That is one of the largest power plants in the Netherlands.

According to RWE, the hydrogen produced by the Battolyser system would be used to cool the generators in the power plant. RWE wants to test how that works. The intention is for the system to store renewable energy or process it into green hydrogen on an industrial scale.

More on hydrogen:

  • 'Seawater dust' yields hydrogen, drinking water, electricity, table salt and minerals

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