Dow Benelux to build green hydrogen plant in the Netherlands

Dow Benelux outlined its plants to reduce current CO2 emissions from its Terneuzen, the Netherlands, on its path to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

In the first phase, the plan foresees the construction of a clean hydrogen plant where byproducts from core production processes would be converted into hydrogen and CO2.

The hydrogen would be used as a clean fuel in the production process. The CO2 would be captured and stored until alternative technologies develop, and Dow will also look for ways to enable usage of the CO2 in its processes rather than storing it.

Read more: HYFOR pilot steel plant begins operations in Austria

The hydrogen plant is expected to begin operations in 2026 and would allow Dow in Terneuzen to reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 1.4 million tonnes per year. This is equivalent to the annual emissions of more than 300,000 cars.

The first phase would also include additional investments in site infrastructure for CO2 liquefaction, air separation, hydrogen distribution and CO2 transport.

Building the new hydrogen plant and the associated infrastructure is expected to create 3,500 to 4,000 engineering and construction jobs over a period of 3 years and 400 to 500 permanent jobs at Dow, in the region and across associated service providers.

In the second phase, by 2030 Dow will capture CO2 from its ethylene oxide plant and replace some gas turbines with electrical motor drives. This will avoid a further 300,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.

The third and final phase of the plan will develop and implement additional breakthrough technologies to replace fuel usage in the production processes. An example is Dow’s previously announced collaboration with Shell to electrify ethylene steam cracking furnaces.

These furnaces currently rely on fuel combustion, which makes them CO2-emission intensive when not fired on clean hydrogen. Switching to electrical cracking with clean electricity will reduce the CO2 footprint of the production process to near-zero emissions.

Read more: London Mayor launches England's first hydrogen buses

Commenting on the plan, Dow Benelux President Anton van Beek said: “We are part of a vital and critical industry – we supply building blocks for thousands of consumer goods, many of which provide CO2 reducing benefits to our customers and the value chain."

"We want to continue to supply those products while enhancing our long-standing commitment to sustainability, so we need and want to adapt how we manufacture those products to help address climate change. With this roadmap we aim to enable low-CO2 products to be made in the Netherlands.”

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