Hydrogen is expected to become a critical part of the energy mix as the world transitions to cleaner energy sources. Safe, reliable and well-positioned storage and (re)conversion infrastructure is required to make the ‘hydrogen economy’ a reality.
At VTTI, we are developing a European network of ammonia import terminals and ammonia cracking facilities, which will help decarbonise hard-to-abate industries with green and low-carbon hydrogen. We are also exploring the possibility of converting liquified natural gas (LNG) import terminals to become part of our hydrogen infrastructure.
Working with hydrogen is a natural fit for VTTI as we expand our business into new areas. Across our network of energy storage terminals, we receive energy sources (e.g. fuel sources and chemicals) and safely store them on behalf of our customers until the moment they are needed. We already sit at a critical point in the energy supply chain, supporting energy security and helping to keep the world moving.
To support large-scale hydrogen imports, VTTI has launched Project Amplifhy. Our first two projects are in the Port of Antwerp and the Port of Rotterdam, where we plan to build ammonia import terminals and crackers. These projects are on track to provide clean hydrogen to various sectors and industries across Europe as early as 2029.
The European Commission has identified Amplifhy Antwerp and Amplifhy Rotterdam as Projects of Common Interest for the European Union, meaning they are considered a key priority to interconnect Europe’s energy infrastructure.
We are developing hydrogen hubs at our terminals in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and Antwerp, Belgium.
Amplifhy Rotterdam & Antwerp
Hydrogen has a very high energy content per unit of weight, making it a promising source of fuel. However, this simple atom is difficult and energy intensive to store or work with, because it must be kept at extremely low temperatures and at very high pressure.
One solution is to attach hydrogen atoms to nitrogen atoms, resulting in ammonia (NH3). Ammonia can be stored under relatively ‘normal’ conditions, making it a good option for transporting hydrogen over long distances and storing it in tanks. When needed, the ammonia can be ‘cracked’ back into hydrogen and nitrogen, with hydrogen being distributed by pipeline to be used as fuel.
Because hydrogen can be stored (as ammonia) until it is needed, it complements variable renewable energy (VRE) sources such as solar and wind, whose availability tends to fluctuate.
VTTI’s ambition is to build a European network of ammonia import terminals and crackers in key ports that will feed into the hydrogen backbone system – the pipeline network that will run throughout Europe.
Customers will be able to store their ammonia in our tanks, in the form of cold liquid. At the right moment, they can provide ammonia to our cracker to be decoupled. Their hydrogen can then be injected into the pipeline system.
We expect hydrogen to mainly be used by industry, for example in refining and in the manufacture of chemicals, steel, aluminium, glass and ceramics. In the future, we may also see hydrogen used more widely as an energy source in electricity power plants, or as a fuel for heavy duty vehicles.
While we are putting infrastructure in place to reconvert ammonia to hydrogen, ammonia itself has many applications – from agricultural fertilisers, to cargo vessels and chemical plants.
Our ambition with Project Amplifhy is to provide clean hydrogen. But for hydrogen to be clean, the ammonia must first be green – or blue.
Currently, most of the global ammonia supply is ‘grey ammonia’, produced by processing natural gas (a fossil fuel). However, we anticipate that the production of ‘blue’ and ‘green’ ammonia will be scaled up to serve the world’s energy needs.
3D render of hydrogen molecules
We are exploring how VTTI’s infrastructure can, one day, be repurposed to support the hydrogen economy. For example, our LNG import terminals, such as the Zeeland Energy Terminal in development in the Netherlands, could eventually play a pioneering role in the transition to clean energy carriers such as hydrogen.
Read more about our RNG facilities
Read more about our LNG terminals
