Fuelling the fuel of the future for Vision H2

ANDRÉ JURRES, CO-CEO, VISION H2

Atlas Professionals make inroads into green hydrogen with Vision H2

Atlas knows what it takes to stay ahead of the curve and a successful energy transition means keeping the essential element in the energy value chain – ‘hydrogen’ close to our business. We recently partnered with Belgian Energy Pioneer André Jurres to provide personnel for his new green hydrogen venture Vision H2.The company aims to build multiple clean hydrogen production facilities across Western Europe.

Supporting Vision H2 in the initial stages of setting up their plant – Atlas has successfully confirmed an Electrical Engineer, Project Manager and Chief Finance Officer for their Flushing office. Besides assisting Vision H2 with its executive search for key management roles, Atlas is also recruiting skilled engineers and technicians for the next phase of the project.

With its first entry into the hydrogen sector, Atlas has now expanded its support to sustainable businesses to help companies meet their specialist requirements and support clients in leading the energy transition. In a conversation with Atlas, André Jurres discusses the future of green hydrogen and the challenges ahead.

Location is key

With their facilities for hydrogen plants in Flushing and Terneuzen in the Netherlands under development, the company aims to make its scalable electrolyser operational by 2023. The choice of location is a very strategic one – the sites are industrial zones with good infrastructure connections and already have some usage of hydrogen sub knowledge.

André explains, “It’s quite logical for us to have the plants in these places because they are in the industrial zone and have good capacity connections. We are close to the sea. We have received the permit for Phase One and will have a 25 MW plant – which in electricity terms seems rather small but in hydrogen terms it’s huge. There is nothing bigger in Europe than this now – in the Benelux region, in France and the UK – we are the first one to receive a permit for such a large industrial installation so it’s very new currently.”

Future proof

Green hydrogen is produced using clean renewable energy sources and offshore wind farms have proven to be crucial in making its production climate neutral. The logistical placement of Vision H2 locations is making the company future ready. André asserts, “Being close to the sea is also interesting for the future. Once we serve smaller ships, barges can also start to use hydrogen instead of only diesel or go hybrid. For example, we could build a jetty or a fuelling station here and then the barges can take on the hydrogen directly from the plant.”

Specialised pool of resources

Being specialised with a strong regional and international presence has helped Atlas establish a wide network of skilled personnel to support companies that need knowledgeable and competent professionals. The partnership with Atlas has ensured a smooth transition for Jurres, “Atlas is specialised in technical profiles and this matters to us. It is not easy to be differentiating when there are so many recruitment companies available, but what I like is that Atlas has found a good niche for themselves.”

Building up from scratch

In parallel, Vision H2 is focussing on building infrastructure, on the technology and preparing storage facilities, “When you start development in renewables, you know when you start but you don’t know when you’re going to achieve a good result. That’s the reason we have started earlier than the rest – we believe that there’s going to be off-takers and customers who need green hydrogen. With the permits coming in at a rapid rate, the past 12 months have been very interesting for us. We are also looking at other sites in the Netherlands as well as outside of the Netherlands,” Jurres shares.