18 STORAGE TERMINALS
GREEN SEAS AMMONIA • HYDROGEN MUST PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN THE ENERGY TRANSITION BUT IMPORTING IT INTO EUROPE MAY BE EASIER IN THE FORM OF AMMONIA. PLANS ARE MOVING AHEAD IN ROTTERDAM GASUNIE HAS TEAMED up with terminal operators Vopak and HES International in a partnership to investigate the viability of establishing a green ammonia import terminal, named ACE Terminal, on the Maasvlakte in Rotterdam. The project aims to respond to growing global demand for green energy and the clear need in northern Europe to be able to import sustainably produced energy carriers at scale. Work on the basic design will start before the middle of the year, with the aim of getting the terminal up and running in 2026. Renewably sourced hydrogen is regarded as an essential element in the future renewable energy mix, with demand growing in the power generation, transport and petrochemical sectors. While there will be some production of green hydrogen from wind and solar power in the Netherlands, that will not be able to achieve the volume needed to meet the UN and EU targets for decarbonisation by 2030 and 2050. The partners in ACE Terminal see an import site for green ammonia as making a vital contribution to the supply of green hydrogen in this decarbonisation scenario. Green ammonia as a carrier of hydrogen offers a relatively straightforward way of moving energy in bulk over long distances and is something that the Port of Rotterdam is already investigating – it is, for instance, involved in a joint venture in Brazil looking to export green ammonia or hydrogen from the Stolthaven Santos terminal. Compared to
THE PLANNED ACE TERMINAL WILL HAVE TO BE PART OF AN INTERNATIONAL SUPPLY CHAIN
HCB MONTHLY | MAY 2022
hydrogen, ammonia offers the advantage that the supply chain is well developed and ammonia has been moved in bulk on gas tankers for many decades. It can be readily converted into hydrogen, with nitrogen the only by-product, and will also be used directly as a marine fuel, with marine engine suppliers already producing propulsion systems capable of running on ammonia. LOCATION ADVANTAGE The intended location for ACE Terminal on the Maasvlakte will provide access to oceangoing ships carrying ammonia from all parts of the world; initially, the partners say, that may also include ‘blue’ ammonia produced with the use of methane, which is a relatively low-carbon source but not entirely decarbonised. ACE Terminal will make use of existing infrastructure and logistics facilities within
Rotterdam and will have space for the construction of an ammonia-to-hydrogen conversion plant, which ultimately will be connected to a national hydrogen network that Gasunie is developing to serve the future hydrogen needs of the Netherlands and further afield. HES International already has a terminal on the Maasvlakte, with quayside capacity; Vopak handles ammonia at six of its terminals around the world and has extensive experience in the safe storage of the product; and Gasunie has storage tanks and pipelines in the Port of Rotterdam. “By joining forces,” the three partners say, “an attractive starting point will be established from which – within just a few years – the partners will be able to realise the import location for green ammonia in Rotterdam.” A final investment decision has yet to be taken and will depend on an analysis of the likely level of demand for throughput capacity as well as the necessary permitting process. The partners are basing their plans on an independent and open-access infrastructure. A market consultation procedure is soon to be launched, in which potential users can express their interest in the supply, storage and transhipment of green ammonia and hydrogen. Initial discussions are already underway with international market parties, the partners say. www.aceterminal.nl
