Mott MacDonald, KBR signed up for giant Dutch terminal project

UK-headquartered consulting engineer Mott MacDonald has been appointed owner’s engineer for what’s being called the world’s first commercial-scale terminal for importing liquid hydrogen (LH₂) at the port of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

While Mott MacDonald will oversee planning, design and construction, US-headquartered engineer KBR has been selected to provide front-end engineering for the terminal, reported GCR. 

Developed by EcoLog, a venture set up to build and operate liquid hydrogen infrastructure, the “EcoLog Terminal Amsterdam” will also produce liquid carbon dioxide (LCO₂) for export using cold energy released during LH₂ regasification. It will ship imported LH₂ to the surrounding region by water, road, rail and pipelines.

The EU sees renewable hydrogen as a desirable alternative to fossil fuels for transport and energy intensive industry.

By 2030, it wants to achieve local production of 10 million tonnes a year and the importing of a further 10 million tonnes. By 2050, it wants renewable hydrogen to cover around 10% of the bloc’s energy needs. LCO₂ is used in a range of industrial applications. 

EcoLog aims to finish the terminal’s first phase by 2030, by which time it hopes to be importing 200,000 tonnes of LH₂ and exporting 1.8m tonnes LCO₂, stated the GCR report. 

It sees that throughput eventually expanding to 600,000 tonnes of LH₂ imported and 4.25 million tonnes of LCO₂ exported, it added.