Perspectives

Corné Boot

Head of Government Affairs BP Netherlands and member of the H-vision Workgroup Communication & Stakeholder Engagement

In the local newspaper AD of March 10 2021, an opinion piece was published by Henri Bontenbal, Candidate #17 on the list for the House of Representatives for the CDA and Sven de Langen, Alderman for Care, Public Health, Elderly and Sport of the Municipality of Rotterdam. The title: 'The port of Rotterdam must become the most sustainable’:

The port of Rotterdam must become the hydrogen hub of Europe. And the most sustainable in the world. It takes an enterprising government with audacity.

1. How does H-vision fit into this vision?

H-vision fits perfectly within this vision. Within H-vision, various parties have been working together for a number of years on a concrete plan to contribute to the realization of the climate goals of the industry. The solution is innovative and realistic. The idea is to remove the CO2 from our own refinery gas. The high temperature refining processes are then fueled with hydrogen and no longer with natural (fossil) gas. This way, we ensure a fast, cost-effective and significant CO2 reduction. What helps is that Europe's largest refineries in Rotterdam have enough scale to make H-vision a success.

2. What does the planning of H-vision look like and what does this mean for achieving the climate goals?

Our plan is ready. The planning depends on the support from the government. Dutch industry faces a considerable task: reducing 20 megatonnes of CO2 in 9 years is an unprecedented task. Unfortunately, techniques such as electrification or the development of green hydrogen do not contribute sufficiently to the reduction before the target date 2030. Sometimes the technology is missing, often the cables or the green power. We will therefore also have to rely heavily on CCS and blue hydrogen. The calculations of Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL) for the election programs also show that.

Corné Boot

3. What is your advice to a new government?

If the government really wants the industry to achieve the current or increased CO2 reduction task by 2030, they need to clarify a number of topics quickly. They need to clarify what support they are willing to provide, but also provide clarity about legislation and infrastructure. Only then companies can start investing in blue and green hydrogen, electrification and further energy efficiency.