[ project development ]
VoltH2 is currently developing three green hydrogen production projects in the Netherlands , to be located in Vlissingen , Terneuzen and Delfzijl , with a combined initial capacity of 100 MW . Sweco is responsible for design and permitting . For project details , visit www . volth2 . com / en /.
Permit VoltH2 Looking into the design permit for VoltH2 , published on 22 September 2021 , the hydrogen plant has hardly any significant environmental impact ( other than noise from fans ). The license mainly contains the usual provisions . It is striking , however , that PGS 35 ( for hydrogen delivery installations ) is applied ‘ analogously ’ to ensure that the hydrogen storage installation complies with BAT ( Best Available Techniques ).
No Wnb ( Dutch Nature Conservation Act ) permit is required . A quantitative risk analysis ( QRA ) has been made as if it were a BEVI facility . The QRA shows that the 10-6 site-specific risk contour lies outside the establishment . Since hydrogen gas is a combustible gas and production takes place under high pressure , this is not illogical . Safety is of course paramount .
There are no emissions of substances of very high concern . The emission of ( in short ) particulate matter does not make a significant contribution . The oxygen released during the production of 1,800 tons of hydrogen is ‘ released ’ into the atmosphere . It is a pity that no useful application has been found for this . Also , for the released heat no end users seem to be in the picture .
The environmental permit ( construction ) is tested against the building and usage rules of the zoning plan . If there is a business destination with a ‘ State of Business List ’, then the hydrogen plant in principle falls under the category of chemical plants , inorganic substances category 4.2 ( standard distance : 300 meters due to noise ) or under the category ‘ other gases factory , explosive ’, category 5.1 ( standard distance : 500 meters due to noise ).
Project development – the main risks
Project development is a risky business . For the substantial investments required for hydrogen production , we currently see three main investment risks : increased costs , uncertainty of the business case , and development risks .
Increased costs Over the last 10 years , costs in the renewable energy sector have been constantly decreasing . However , recent macro-economic shifts and political tensions are causing costs to rise . For the time being , there is no prospect of this changing . Higher prices for products like steel and iridium also make the development of hydrogen production more expensive . For many projects , rising wage costs are also a significant component , driven further by the growing shortage of personnel to carry out the work .
Rising energy costs are a driver for many to quickly switch to alternative energy sources . But not everyone has the capacity to invest , especially now that interest rates are rising and the cost of capital is increasing . Besides being an opportunity , the high costs of fossil energy are therefore also a risk . For some time now , the active policy of many governments has focused on discouraging fossil energy use by setting prices . As a result , fossil energy users have less budget to invest in , for example , PV panels or to convert their installation to use hydrogen as an energy source .
22 Hydrogen Tech World | Issue 7 | December 2022