Cepsa and ACE Terminal de Rotterdam, a consortium led by the companies Gasunie, HES International and Vopak, have signed a memorandum of understanding -MoU, for its acronym in English- this Monday to promote the first green maritime hydrogen corridor from Spain to the Netherlands, according to Efe. Specifically, they explain in a joint press release, the Spanish energy that supplies green ammonia to the ACE terminal for its conversion to green hydrogen, destined for multiple industries in northern Europe, or its direct use as fuel in maritime transport.
The announcement was made public minutes after the Spanish Minister for the Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, and the Dutch Energy Minister, Rob Jetten, signed an alliance for hydrogen cooperation between the two countries, at the International Conference on Renewable Energies (Spirec 23). As the third vice president has also detailed at a press conference, “Dutch and Spanish” companies are taking part in this agreement that seek to collaborate and promote exchanges and learning in hydrogen application experiences.
Rotterdam, a key port
In the initiative of Cepsa and ACE Terminal, the open access terminal will be located in the port of Rotterdam, a crucial logistics infrastructure for northwestern Europe from the energy point of view that, in addition, connects by hydroduct with the industries of Germany, Belgium and Denmark. In fact, it is the most important energy port in Europe, since it manages 13% of the European energy demand, above that of Algeciras, which is the first in Spain, the fourth on the continent and an important trade route with Asia.
With the planned reuse of assets and infrastructure, ACE Terminal is a short-term commercialization project. This alliance reinforces the green hydrogen corridor between the north and south of the Old Continent, and represents an important milestone in the European strategy for decarbonization and development of renewable hydrogen and sustainable fuels.
The agreement with Cepsa is the first reached by ACE Terminal to develop the largest green hydrogen and ammonia import and storage terminal in Europe. Likewise, it is the first tangible step in the agreement signed by the Spanish company with the port of Rotterdam in October to export the hydrogen produced in its San Roque Energy Park, through vectors such as ammonia.
Cepsa’s goal is to start the first exports of green hydrogen from Spain in 2027, a schedule that coincides with that of the ACE terminal project. Currently, the energy company is developing a capacity of 2 gigawatts (GW) of green hydrogen in its two Energy Parks in Andalusia, as part of its 2030 strategy to become a leader in sustainable mobility.
The two hydrogen plants, which will involve an investment of 3,000 million euros, will form part of the Andalusian Green Hydrogen Valley, the largest green hydrogen ‘hub’ in Europe, for which Cepsa recently signed several collaboration agreements throughout the value chain.
