Circularity enhances electrification
In 2016, the main question focused on forming the most effective scenarios to reduce CO₂. Commissioned by the Port of Rotterdam Authority and SmartPort, the Wuppertal Institute has delivered three scenarios that can achieve a 75-98% CO₂ reduction in 2050. One of the conclusions was that electrification can make a significant contribution to making the Rotterdam Port Industrial complex more sustainable.

Companies in the port of Rotterdam produce the basis for products that we all use every day, such as bottles, clothing, fuel and electronics. Hydrogen and carbon are the main ingredients of these products, which are now produced from gas, coal and oil. To produce these products in a cleaner, climate-neutral way, a new method of production is needed. For example, hydrogen can be produced by electricity (electrification) and carbon can be captured from the air or from existing processes.

Rotterdam: the place for a clean, integrated chemical cluster
In 2017, the consortium approached BP, Joulz, Uniper and the Port of Rotterdam Authority SmartPort with this question; What is the value case of green hydrogen production? SmartPort has commissioned this research – called Power-2-Gas-2-Refineries – at TNO. The study shows that installing a 20MW electrolyser can already save 30 ktonnes of CO₂ per year. In comparison: a large refinery needs about 1GW of hydrogen, which means that upscaling green hydrogen production can potentially save a lot of CO₂.

In the words of the consortium: “This project, in which green hydrogen is made by electrolysis of wind peaks, pushes the port of Rotterdam towards a sustainable future.” Following up on this value case and based on the ambition to scale up, BP & Nouryon signed the MOU in the spring of 2018 for the construction of a 250MW electrolyser.

To further facilitate and stimulate this chain-oriented approach, SmartPort organized a session on synthetic fuels (e-fuels) in September 2018. This concerns, for example, renewable electricity and synthetic diesel produced by capturing CO₂. Together with VoltaChem, the Power-2-Fuels project was developed from this, in which the (future) producers of e-fuels and the users of these clean fuels jointly look at the necessary innovation in this area. “By working together with SmartPort, we can further develop generic solutions in the field of industrial electrification, together with companies and knowledge institutions from the region, specifically for application in the Port of Rotterdam,” says Martijn de Graaff, program director at VoltaChem / TNO. “And with it accelerating developments and implementation of new technologies and value chains that contribute to a CO₂-neutral port in 2050”.

From lab to the commercial plant
Electrification techniques need to be scaled up to make them commercially attractive. This is a process of trial and error. This requires the necessary research to get from  lab, via a pilot and a demonstration project, to a commercial factory. The legislator must also learn how new techniques work: what emissions do new factories have and what are the safety contours.

At the request of DCMR, the Port of Rotterdam Authority and Deltalinqs, SmartPort has set up the Governance Port Industrial Complex project, in which, by Erasmus University and TNO, it is being investigated how permits, supervision and enforcement can enhance their contribution to innovation within the energy transition. SmartPort facilitates interaction with companies.

The Electrons-2-Chemicals (E2C) project has been set up together with VoltaChem for the upscaling of electrification technologies. Here, various international research institutions and companies are scaling up technologies and therefore applying them in increasingly large installations to convert sustainable energy CO₂into dimethylether (DME) and formic acid. These are both chemical building blocks and potential future sustainable fuels.

Infrastructure for new energy
To be able to use these technologies, the right energy infrastructure is of course also required. By jointly offering insight into the electrification potential of the port of Rotterdam, insight is also created into the energy infrastructure required for this.

 “The port is used to supplying a constant flow of energy. But the supply of renewable energy – wind and solar – is not constant. System integration is required to absorb a growing share of renewable energy in the port. So that energy is always available to companies in the desired form, ”says Ruud Melieste, strategist at the Port of Rotterdam Authority. Electrification can make a significant contribution to an almost climate neutral port industrial complex by 2050, but it is still undergoing development. SmartPort drives these developments from a technological, economic and policy perspective.