Sustainable construction of a 32 km hydrogen pipeline in the Port of Rotterdam
Hanab Pipelines & Utilities is currently working on the hydrogen network at the Port of Rotterdam on behalf of Hynetwork. It is an unusual project as it involves the construction of a 32 km hydrogen pipeline between the Maasvlakte and Pernis, including valves, boreholes and branch lines to connect future customers. A third of the hydrogen pipeline also runs parallel to the Porthos pipeline (CO2 transport), which requires considerable of coordination between the contractors and customers involved.
Hydrogen plays a crucial role in making the energy supply more sustainable
Working on behalf of Hynetwork, Hanab Pipelines & Utilities is constructing the first section of the national hydrogen network, which runs from Maasvlakte 2 to Pernis. The section involves three directional drillings, four closed-end drillings, the construction of valve stations and the installation of a cathodic protection system.
Hydrogen plays a crucial role in making the energy supply more sustainable. The national network will eventually have a length of 1,200 kilometres and will consist largely of repurposed natural gas pipelines. Starting in 2030, this hydrogen network will connect the major industrial regions of the Netherlands together and with Germany and Belgium. The network will also have connections to large-scale hydrogen production facilities, import terminals in seaports and companies at home and abroad that will be using hydrogen for sustainability improvements.
Emissions savings on the project
Hanab Pipelines & Utilities was engaged in the project on the basis of a maximum of 118 tonnes of CO2 emissions. The project is achieving environmental benefits through the use of an electric crane from Gebr. Van den Maagdenberg, electric welding, and by fuelling diesel machinery with HVO100. There are also significant benefits from extensive monitoring, with the use of HVO100. As standard, all machinery runs on HVO100, resulting in CO2 emissions that are 70 times lower than the equivalent machinery running on diesel. The only exception is for older equipment, which this runs on HVO20.
Commitment and craftsmanship
Hanab’s project manager talks about the commitment and expertise of the project team: ‘Everyone on site is keen to meet the targets, with our sustainability coordinator acting as the catalyst. We ensure that HVO100 is supplied and used and we remind machine operators not to leave engines idling.’ But what this project shows above all is that when everyone is committed, there’s potential for real benefit. And not just in environmental terms. ‘The dedication is truly remarkable. When I see how neat and professionally the trenches and pits look, I feel great pride.’
‘In addition, everyone has become much more creative and is thinking in terms of solutions. Sometimes that’s simple, such as replacing a number of diesel cars with electric models. Other times, it can be more of a challenge. For instance, two years ago, welding on battery packs was still a new concept, but now it’s accepted. However, that also meant we needed larger batteries. We charge these at Kees in ’t Veen, which has ample solar panels and where we’re renting office space for the duration of the project.’ Only the electric crane is powered by an HVO100 unit. ‘Potential charging points are too far away. We also need a lot of them as we’re covering 32 kilometres.’
