Engineering consulting firm Sweco was responsible for the design and preparation of the environmental permit for the 25 megawatt green hydrogen production plant in Vlissingen. This was done on behalf of VoltH2. Upon completion, this site will produce 3.6 million kg of green hydrogen per year.

Sweco’s Expertise in Green Hydrogen Projects in Benelux

In the first project phase, Sweco is responsible for the complete design, the necessary permits and the subsidies. Using an international team of Belgian and Dutch specialists, we are able to carry out the entire project in an integrated manner. Sweco is also involved in other green hydrogen developments in the Netherlands and Belgium with the deployment of engineering for compression, cooling and storage modalities according to the strict safety requirements for high pressure hydrogen.

Tom Van Den Noortgaete, Division Director Energy at Sweco Belgium, stated: “Sweco has strong technical expertise in the engineering of industrial process installations and plays a special, international, pioneering role in hydrogen projects. We are therefore very proud of the granting of this licence. This is the first important step in the roll-out of a hydrogen economy in the Benelux. Green hydrogen opens the door to the further sustainability of our economy and society. Local industry can use the hydrogen produced by VoltH2 as a feedstock for industry or as a fuel for low-carbon transport.”

First Permit for Green Hydrogen Plant Submitted

Sara Vander Beken, Team Manager and responsible for the design, mentioned: “The permit for the green hydrogen plant was submitted at the end of April 2021. An absolute first, because for the first time a licensing authority had to make such a decision. The production, processing and storage of hydrogen is a new development, so an extensive information session was provided. At an early stage, we sat down with the local authorities to inform them about the development of such pioneering projects. The local authorities involved came to the conclusion that green hydrogen generates many positive effects for the region, both economically and in terms of energy.”

Making Our Energy Mix More Sustainable with Green Hydrogen

This hydrogen plant planned in Vlissingen will generate green hydrogen using electricity from wind energy at sea. The construction uses technology that has already been successfully applied in the industry and is available from various suppliers. Local filling stations can also be supplied through the integration of hydrogen storage. The green hydrogen plant will be expandable by design to 100 megawatts (MW) with a potential production of about 15 million kg of green hydrogen per year. For comparison: using the energy from 1 kg of hydrogen, a passenger car can travel about 100 km.

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