Energy
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Financial instrumentsPartner
Rebel Group, Port of Amsterdam, Tata Steel and ECOLOGDate
November 13, 2025Reading time
6 minutesHow can we make green hydrogen a key energy carrier in the Dutch energy transition? What is needed for this? Eduard de Visser (Director of strategy & innovation at Port of Amsterdam) and Dolores de Rooij (senior business development manager at Invest-NL) share how their research can develop into a catalyst for the Dutch and European energy transition.
The Netherlands has set ambitious climate goals for itself. An important part of this is the electrification of industry. However, for several sectors such as heavy mobility, aviation, and chemicals, electrification is not an easy option. Green hydrogen could be a solution.
However, Dutch green hydrogen production is progressing only slowly. Production costs are still too high, and there is limited capacity for renewable energy. As a result, many investments in infrastructure and factories are being postponed. Importing hydrogen from export countries with abundant sunshine and wind energy can offer an affordable and scalable supplement to domestic production. Eduard sees opportunities: “By introducing liquefied hydrogen, the port of Amsterdam can play a strategic role in this.”
To thoroughly understand this case, Invest-NL and Rebel Group have conducted a case study commissioned by a consortium consisting of Port of Amsterdam, Tata Steel, and ECOLOG. The study ‘Green hydrogen import through the port of Amsterdam’ demonstrates how the port of Amsterdam can develop into the gateway for large-scale import of green hydrogen.
Dolores explains: “It shows the technical feasibility but also reveals a clear financing issue. Between 2030 and 2040, there will be a temporary financing gap of approximately € 2.4 billion because the expected sales price in the initial phase is lower than the cost price. After 2042, the situation will change, and the project will generate an overall return of around € 2 billion over its lifetime.”
The report mentions a series of solutions to bridge the financing gap. One of them is the use of so-called Contract-for-Difference agreements. In this arrangement, the government agrees on a fixed price per unit of energy with a producer of CO₂-free energy. If the market price is lower? The government pays the difference. If the market price is higher? The producer repays the difference.
Other solutions include subordinated loans and amendments to legislation and regulations. These provide investors with greater certainty and accelerate the growth of a stable hydrogen market. An important aspect of the design is the deployment of an aggregator. This is a party that consolidates demand and supply and signs long-term contracts. In this way, risks related to price and volume are reduced.
The business case does not add up yet. A mix of measures is the most promising.
Dolores de Rooij
Collaboration between public and private parties is essential in this context. Also in this research. Eduard emphasizes this: “By bringing together parties from the entire chain with expertise in terminal operations, infrastructure, and off-take, a realistic model has been developed that can be directly applied to similar import projects.”
Collaboration is also necessary to realize the import of green hydrogen in the future. Dolores: “The business case is not yet viable. A mix of measures is the most promising, precisely because risks occur at different points in the chain such as production price, off-take volume, and regulation.” Eduard adds: “Therefore, other instruments will need to be introduced or existing instruments adjusted.”
The recommendation is clear: now is the time to take action so that green hydrogen can fulfill its promise for the energy transition. Invest-NL and Port of Amsterdam continue dialogue with ministries, financial institutions, and potential off-takers. With the steps outlined in the case study, the first liquid hydrogen ship can dock in 2027 and a mature import and distribution chain can be operational by 2034.
The location of Amsterdam – close to North-German consumers and existing pipeline corridors – makes the port a logical hub for Northwestern Europe.
According to Eduard, this is a promising perspective: “If the proposed measures are implemented, the port can start supplying hydrogen on a structural basis below the tradable market price from 2040 onwards, thereby contributing to a competitive, climate-neutral industrial complex within the European Union.”
The case study serves as a blueprint for other ports; the methodology is universally applicable.
Eduard de Visser
The report is also valuable for other import projects. It contains an analysis of the various sectors where green hydrogen can be applied and demonstrates how targeted interventions can make green hydrogen imports feasible, not only in the Netherlands but across Europe. Eduard: “The case study serves as a blueprint for other ports; the methodology is universally applicable.”
In the long term, the potential impact is significant. The Dutch government expects that by 2050, up to 50% of green hydrogen will be imported. This project demonstrates that targeted government support is helpful, especially when companies are willing to sign long-term off-take agreements. This can help bridge the challenging period in which a company incurs costs but has little revenue. This is crucial for building new value chains.
This is how we enable change.
Dolores de Rooij
And thereby, the case study is a prime example of what Invest-NL stands for: accelerating the energy transition by enabling financing. Dolores: “The import of green hydrogen via the port of Amsterdam is an innovative step - but with barriers. Innovative companies wishing to scale up often encounter financing hurdles. Invest-NL helps to resolve these bottlenecks. We do this through research and advice, among other things. We look at the market, identify financing bottlenecks, and address them. This makes change possible.”
With the case study on the table, a clear roadmap is laid out. As Eduard puts it: “We now have proof that it’s possible; the next step is to mobilise capital and policy to actually do it. Once that step is taken, the first liquid hydrogen will sail to Amsterdam, giving a powerful boost to the European hydrogen economy.”
Dolores de Rooij
sr. business development manager
The energy transition is a major challenge for our society. The national and European targets demand significant growth in energy derived from renewable sources. An increase in offshore wind energy is essential in this context. Fred van Beers (CEO of Sif), Jeroen Junge, and Remco Westerbeek (both investment managers at Invest-NL) discuss a collaboration in the offshore wind industry with a remarkable outcome: Invest-NL's first exit.
The government, investors, and financiers need each other to fund the energy transition. To promote collaboration, Invest-NL launched the Financing Tables in partnership with the Climate Commitment Financial Sector, the Ministry of Climate and Green Growth, and the Ministry of Finance. The government and private financial parties sit down together to discuss specific financing bottlenecks. The goal? To broaden the investment opportunities for (institutional) investors and financiers.