A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Port of Rotterdam. This partnership will encourage the establishment of hydrogen supply chains to support Newfoundland and Labrador’s export of green hydrogen to the Netherlands, and onward to other parts of Europe. The signing has coincided with the World Hydrogen Summit 2023 staged in Rotterdam May 9-11.
Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Renévan der Plas, Director International for the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands to cooperate and explore opportunities in the area of green hydrogen and hydrogen technologies. The partnership highlights the significant potential of Newfoundland and Labrador’s renewable energy resources, in particular its wind resources, and the opportunity to bring them to the global marketplace in the form of green hydrogen.
The Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands is the largest inland port in Europe, and the 11th largest container port in the world. It is an energy hub for western Europe, with over 3,000 companies and some 13 per cent of total energy demand in Europe entering the European Union via Rotterdam. The Port is seeking to position itself as a green hydrogen hub for northwestern Europe, through major infrastructure investments in green hydrogen production and distribution, and port upgrades to accommodate green hydrogen imports.
Newfoundland and Labrador has a wealth of resources and supporting characteristics that well position it to competitively produce and export green hydrogen. These include abundant wind, water and land, a highly renewable grid, a skilled workforce, and a strategic location with numerous deep-sea ice-free ports along transcontinental shipping lanes and with proximity to Europe.
Europe is a key export market for Newfoundland and Labrador’s green hydrogen, as the European Union and several member countries have outlined hydrogen as a way to achieve energy security and net zero targets.
This Memorandum of Understanding with the Port of Rotterdam is in addition to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Declaration of Intent with the City of Hamburg, Germany to cooperate in the field of hydrogen and hydrogen technologies. On August 23, 2022 the Town of Stephenville hosted the signing of a Declaration of Intent to establish a Canada-Germany Hydrogen Alliance between the Governments of Canada and Germany as well, further highlighting the significant potential of our province’s renewable resources and the opportunities to bring them to the global marketplace.
(Port of Rotterdam photo from Dreamstime)
