From energy gateway to hydrogen powerhouse: Rotterdam at the heart of Europe’s hydrogen economy

By Randolf Weterings, Corporate Strategy Program Manager Hydrogen,
Port of Rotterdam

Rotterdam aims to maintain its position as Europe’s leading sustainable energy port by developing infrastructure that supports the decarbonisation of existing energy flows and by bolstering low carbon hydrogen production, imports, and onward distribution to industrial clusters in North West Europe.

This ambition marries up with the European hydrogen corridor vision and is fully aligned with Rotterdam’s 2050 climate neutral and integrated energy transition strategic plans.

Key to this is the Netherlands’ national hydrogen network, which is set to become operational later this year. Its starting point is at the Port of Rotterdam, eventually connecting to Germany and Belgium to form a regional hydrogen hub in the early 2030s. In the meantime, the hydrogen carriers will be shipped by inland waterways.

The wider Rotterdam metropolitan region is also accelerating decarbonisation through major carbon capture and storage (CCS) initiatives, such as the Porthos project, and at Maasvlakte – a facilitator of large-scale offshore wind to hydrogen conversion. These projects form a multisector industrial transition system integrating hydrogen, CCS, circular chemistry and clean fuels - mirroring European goals for a productive and future-proof cross-border hydrogen economy.

The Port of Rotterdam brings all of this together to create an attractive environment for investment in both decarbonisation and other pioneering, sustainable initiatives.

The construction of large renewable hydrogen plants in Netherlands’ second largest city is already at full steam with the likes of Shell’s flagship 200MW Holland Hydrogen 1 plant, expected to produce up to 80 tonnes of hydrogen per day, and Air Liquide’s ELYgator project which is to generate 23,000 tonnes annually – both of which are directly linking producers to industrial customers. Currently being built, the Porthos project also aims to store 2.5 million tonnes of CO2 annually captured from industry in the port.

These significant early projects embed hydrogen into fuel production, refining, fertiliser and chemical processes and emphasise how low-carbon hydrogen production will play a hugely important role in accelerating the hydrogen economy both domestically and internationally, acting as a blueprint across the continent.

By the mid 2030s, integrated hydrogen import terminals, largescale bunkering (including green ammonia) and a fully connected Dutch-Belgian-German hydrogen network will enable industrial clusters to significantly replace natural gas and grey hydrogen with low-carbon and renewable hydrogen.

Fast forward to 2050 and we envisage that Rotterdam will be a fully climate-neutral port, with hydrogen and its derivates acting as the principal feedstock and fuel for chemicals, steel making, heavy transport, maritime logistics and power generation. Hydrogen’s share in the Port’s energy and feedstock flows is expected to grow exponentially, with imported volumes dominating supply.

Key infrastructure construction is being conducted with significant attention to community impacts and ensuring that the region remains fully accessible too. As well as contributing towards the region’s economic prosperity, being Europe’s hydrogen hub will also fundamentally reshuffle the skills mix in Rotterdam’s industrial region.

According to MKB Rotterdam, an institute for medium and small enterprises, the energy transition is already generating substantial workforce demand with expectations of 10,000 – 15,000 new jobs emerging from transition related infrastructure and energy projects in the coming years. Hydrogen acts as a catalyst for sustainable employment, reinforcing Rotterdam’s position as a robust industrial employer while fostering the next generation of skills in clean energy technologies.

Going forward, the city projects a substantial rise in hydrogen production due to an increasing demand and desire for clean energy, reinforced by new projects and clusters that are supported by a national hydrogen backbone.

This is why Rotterdam makes the perfect host for the World Hydrogen Summit & Exhibition, returning to the city from 19–21 May 2026. Expected to bring together over 10,000 global experts and 500+ exhibitors, this year’s event has expanded to include Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) as a dedicated focus area, reflecting the growing need for integrated hydrogen and carbon management solutions to achieve net-zero goals.

In 2026, there is no more fitting place for the global hydrogen community to convene than in Rotterdam, where scale, infrastructure, industrial depth and geography are combined in a way that no other European port can match, proving it is uniquely positioned to lead Europe’s hydrogen transition.

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