Blended Finance enables large-scale import of green hydrogen

Strategic role  

The Netherlands has set ambitious climate goals for itself. An important part of this is the electrification of industry. However, for several sectors such as heavy mobility, aviation, and chemicals, electrification is not an easy option. Green hydrogen could be a solution.  

However, Dutch green hydrogen production is progressing only slowly. Production costs are still too high, and there is limited capacity for renewable energy. As a result, many investments in infrastructure and factories are being postponed. Importing hydrogen from export countries with abundant sunshine and wind energy can offer an affordable and scalable supplement to domestic production. Eduard sees opportunities: “By introducing liquefied hydrogen, the port of Amsterdam can play a strategic role in this.” 

The power of collaboration

Collaboration between public and private parties is essential in this context. Also in this research. Eduard emphasizes this: “By bringing together parties from the entire chain with expertise in terminal operations, infrastructure, and off-take, a realistic model has been developed that can be directly applied to similar import projects.” 

Collaboration is also necessary to realize the import of green hydrogen in the future. Dolores: “The business case is not yet viable. A mix of measures is the most promising, precisely because risks occur at different points in the chain such as production price, off-take volume, and regulation.” Eduard adds: “Therefore, other instruments will need to be introduced or existing instruments adjusted.” 

Concrete next steps 

The recommendation is clear: now is the time to take action so that green hydrogen can fulfill its promise for the energy transition. Invest-NL and Port of Amsterdam continue dialogue with ministries, financial institutions, and potential off-takers. With the steps outlined in the case study, the first liquid hydrogen ship can dock in 2027 and a mature import and distribution chain can be operational by 2034. 

Blueprint

The report is also valuable for other import projects. It contains an analysis of the various sectors where green hydrogen can be applied and demonstrates how targeted interventions can make green hydrogen imports feasible, not only in the Netherlands but across Europe. Eduard: “The case study serves as a blueprint for other ports; the methodology is universally applicable.” 

Long term

In the long term, the potential impact is significant. The Dutch government expects that by 2050, up to 50% of green hydrogen will be imported. This project demonstrates that targeted government support is helpful, especially when companies are willing to sign long-term off-take agreements. This can help bridge the challenging period in which a company incurs costs but has little revenue. This is crucial for building new value chains.