Gasunie has launched a 32-km hydrogen pipeline in the Port of Rotterdam linking Maasvlakte and Pernis, marking the first operational section of the Dutch hydrogen backbone and enabling future expansion toward national and cross-border hydrogen networks.
May 22, 2026
Dutch gas infrastructure operator Gasunie has inaugurated the first major section of its hydrogen backbone in the Port of Rotterdam: a 32-km pipeline that strengthens the region’s emerging hydrogen network. The pipeline runs entirely within the industrial port area in the province of South Holland, connecting the Maasvlakte area, specifically the Maasvlakte 2 expansion on the North Sea coast, with Pernis, an important petrochemical and refining hub further inland along the Nieuwe Maas river. The new pipeline links two key energy zones within the port. At Maasvlakte, large-scale developments in green hydrogen production are taking shape, including projects powered by offshore wind energy. At Pernis and the surrounding Energy and Chemicals Park Rotterdam, hydrogen is already widely used in refining and chemical processes. By connecting these areas, the pipeline enables the transport of low-carbon hydrogen from future production sites directly to existing industrial users, supporting the replacement of conventional fossil-based hydrogen. “Construction of the national hydrogen network began in October 2023. With the completion of this first section, hydrogen can now be transported from production locations at Maasvlakte to industrial users,” said Gasunie, adding that, over the coming years, the network will be expanded further to connect the major industrial regions in the Netherlands, as well as storage facilities and networks in Germany and Belgium. Meawnhile, Gasunie and the German transmission system operators Open Grid Europe and Thyssengas signed an agreement to jointly develop a cross‑border hydrogen connection between the Netherlands and Germany. “The companies are aiming to realise the connection between Zevenaar and Elten around 2031,” said the Dutch company.
