Cabinet reviews policy on storage & transportation of hydrogen carriers

State Secretary Heijnen (Infrastructure & Water Management) and Minister Jetten (Climate & Energy) sent a letter to the House of Representatives on the results of a report on the safety of transporting hydrogen carriers, particularly ammonia. Hydrogen carriers are expected to play a major role in making energy supplies more sustainable. Solutions for storing and transporting them safely and effectively are therefore in the spotlight.

The government states in the letter that there is a trend toward large-scale import, transport, storage and use of ammonia as a hydrogen carrier, which is contrary to current hazardous materials policy, as ammonia is toxic. The letter further mentions the increase in transportation of hazardous materials and the potential risks involved, as well as uncertainty about market trends and the timely availability of transportation options for hydrogen carriers. Ammonia is seen as a promising carrier because it is a known technology for which relatively many facilities are already available.

The study was conducted by a consortium of Arcadis, Berenschot and TNO and identifies three scenarios based on the projected volumes of hydrogen carriers to be transported to and through the Netherlands through 2035. The letter concludes by acknowledging the need for further research on the topic.

The letter states that the Cabinet intends to develop a guideline before the end of this year to provide clarity on the practical handling of ammonia storage and transport. This will be developed as part of the National Energy System Plan. The report also includes the Energy Storage Roadmap, which the Ministry of Economic Affairs is working on with ESNL and others. Finally, the PGS-12 standard on handling ammonia will be revised this year. ESNL will inform participants of updates on such regulations.