Hydrogen to breathe new life into Dutch pipelines

The Netherlands has a gas grid that will become obsolete. Repurposing it could revive the infrastructure

The Netherlands has a problem. It has a unique pipeline network dedicated to carrying the specific lower-calorific value quality gas of its giant Groningen field. Having legislated to wind down Groningen production, the grid will no longer be needed. Its solution? Integrate these pipelines into one of Europe’s most ambitious hydrogen visions. The country aims to become northwest Europe’s new hydrogen hub. Plans are afoot to build the continent’s largest green hydrogen factory and the government is targeting 3-4GW of hydrogen-making electrolysis, compared with just a handful of MW installed at the moment. “The government will, together with network operators Gasunie [for gas] and Tennet [for