Converting the electricity from offshore wind turbines into hydrogen and landing it in Groningen is good for the North. But it will be an art to be ready in eight years and what does BBB want with it?
The announcement by Minister Jetten of Climate and Energy on Monday that a large green hydrogen plant is being built in the North Sea comes at a good time. It is hoped that the pace will continue.
The plans are good for the climate, for Groningen and for the Northern Netherlands economy. It makes us less dependent on natural gas and coal. This is vitally necessary and cannot happen fast enough, according to a new report from the UN Climate Panel IPCC on Monday. Global warming can no longer be limited to 1.5 degrees, says science. This is serious and makes it even more necessary to take measures to make our energy supply greener.
Groningen has been heading for a role in this energy transition for some time now, because the infrastructure here can be reused for hydrogen due to gas extraction. After adjustments, the hydrogen gas can pass through the old pipelines, there are installations and there is knowledge in Groningen about all kinds of gases. There is also heavy industry that depends on natural gas, which could be converted to hydrogen in the future.
The factory must be up and running in eight years, but that will be quite an art. The permit procedures alone and staff and material shortages can slow things down considerably. There are also all kinds of political issues such as what it will cost and what the government contributes. There are also objections from the nature and environmental angle to building in the sea and using pipelines through the North Sea and Wadden Sea.
But it remains to be seen how the new largest party in provincial politics, BBB, will deal with these plans. BBB is not in favor of wind turbines at sea and wants a nuclear power station in Eemshaven. In any case, such a nuclear power plant would take much more time than this hydrogen plant. Wind turbines at sea should encounter fewer objections than wind turbines on land. It would be unwise to postpone the hydrogen plans.