Hydrogen: A Key Element in the Future of Clean Energy
Hydrogen is set to play a pivotal role in the global energy transition towards cleaner energy sources. To make the ‘hydrogen economy’ a reality, it is essential to have safe, reliable, and strategically located storage and conversion infrastructure.
At Prime Reserve Terminal, we are taking significant steps to develop a European network of ammonia import terminals and ammonia cracking facilities. These facilities will facilitate the decarbonisation of industries that are traditionally difficult to abate, by supplying green and low-carbon hydrogen. Additionally, we are exploring the conversion of existing liquified natural gas (LNG) import terminals into part of our hydrogen infrastructure.
Why Prime Reserve Terminal?
Working with hydrogen is a natural evolution for Prime Reserve Terminal as we expand into new areas of business. Our extensive network of energy storage terminals already plays a critical role in receiving, storing, and safely managing energy sources such as fuels and chemicals on behalf of our customers. With our established expertise in energy security and storage, we are uniquely positioned to support the world’s transition to cleaner energy.
Project Amplifhy
To enable large-scale hydrogen imports, Prime Reserve Terminal has launched Project Amplifhy. Our initial projects in the Ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam are set to establish ammonia import terminals and ammonia cracking facilities. These projects will provide clean hydrogen to key industries across Europe by 2029.
The European Commission has recognized both Amplifhy Antwerp and Amplifhy Rotterdam as Projects of Common Interest, highlighting their importance as strategic priorities in the effort to enhance Europe’s energy infrastructure.
Project Amplifhy
We are in the process of developing hydrogen hubs at our terminals in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and Antwerp, Belgium.
How can hydrogen be part of the energy transition?
Hydrogen plays a pivotal role in the energy transition due to its high energy content per unit of weight, making it a promising fuel source. However, storing and working with hydrogen presents challenges as it must be kept at extremely low temperatures and high pressures.
A solution to this challenge is attaching hydrogen atoms to nitrogen, forming ammonia (NH3). Ammonia can be stored under more manageable conditions, making it a practical option for transporting hydrogen over long distances and storing it. When required, ammonia can be “cracked” back into hydrogen and nitrogen, with hydrogen distributed via pipelines for use as fuel.
Because hydrogen, in the form of ammonia, can be stored until needed, it complements variable renewable energy sources like solar and wind, whose availability fluctuates.
Our role in the hydrogen network
Prime Reserve Terminal aims to build a European network of ammonia import terminals and cracking facilities at key ports, contributing to the hydrogen backbone system – the pipeline network connecting Europe.
Customers will be able to store ammonia in our tanks as cold liquid. When the need arises, ammonia can be provided to our cracker facility to separate the hydrogen, which will then be injected into the pipeline system for distribution and use.
What can hydrogen be used for?
Hydrogen is expected to play a significant role primarily in industry, particularly in refining, and the production of chemicals, steel, aluminum, glass, and ceramics. In the future, hydrogen may also see broader use as an energy source in electricity power plants or as fuel for heavy-duty vehicles.
While we are establishing the infrastructure to reconvert ammonia into hydrogen, ammonia itself has numerous applications, including in agricultural fertilizers, cargo vessels, and chemical plants.
How can ammonia be made ‘green’?
At Prime Reserve Terminal, our goal is to provide clean hydrogen. However, for hydrogen to be truly clean, the ammonia must first be green – or blue.
Currently, the majority of global ammonia is ‘grey ammonia’, produced through the processing of natural gas. However, we foresee a significant shift towards ‘blue’ and ‘green’ ammonia to meet the world’s energy needs.
- Blue ammonia is produced from fossil fuels, but the carbon emissions are captured and stored, making it a low-carbon alternative.
- Green ammonia is created through the electrolysis of water using renewable energy sources, making it the most sustainable and environmentally friendly option.
Looking to the future: adapting existing infrastructure
At Prime Reserve Terminal, we are exploring how our existing infrastructure can be repurposed to support the hydrogen economy in the future. For example, our LNG import terminals, like the Zeeland Energy Terminal currently under development in the Netherlands, could eventually play a pioneering role in the transition to clean energy carriers such as hydrogen.
