The Province has joined a ‘hydrogen coalition’ to make industry in Drenthe more hydrogen-friendly

The province of Drenthe believes that the Netherlands should jointly work to develop hydrogen as a new energy source, and has joined a coalition for hydrogen development, together with 37 other companies and governments in the Netherlands.

With a new Dutch government likely to take form in the coming weeks (or indeed months), the coalition should provide a “widely supported pact for the development of the Dutch hydrogen chain”. This will allow “decision-making about hydrogen to be accelerated in order to make Dutch climate and energy policy future-proof”, reports RTV Drenthe.

The aim is to ultimately reduce CO2 emissions and make heavy industry more sustainable. Energy for homes could also be generated sustainably using hydrogen. According to the coalition, the next cabinet term is of decisive importance in the energy transition and the development of the hydrogen chain. “Never before has hydrogen been able to count on so much support in election programs. It is now important to translate this shared vision into decisive policy.”

The 38 organisations that form the coalition say that, among other things, heavy industry must switch to hydrogen. “This requires a government investment of 2.5 billion euros, an average of 500 million euros per year. This means that the cabinet must also push for more sustainable electricity.” This government support is likely to be offset by commitments from the business community and infrastructure providers, both represented in the coalition.

The coalition is an initiative of network operators, industry parties, energy companies, governments, nature and environmental organisations and scientists.