Capturing CO₂ to decarbonize Rotterdam’s industrial basin

From the offices of the World Port Center in Rotterdam, we look out across the refineries, petrochemical and industrial complexes that line the banks of the Nieuwe Maas towards the North Sea. On the horizon we can see the offshore wind turbines and further north, over 3 kilometers below the seabed, are the depleted gas fields which will permanently store up to 37 million tonnes of CO₂ thanks to the Porthos project.

“We are transforming the port of Rotterdam into a sustainable, low emissions area in line with the European Industrial Carbon Management Strategy,” says Jeroen Steens, Commercial Delivery Director for the Port of Rotterdam.

The Port of Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe and the most important energy transportation hub on the continent. Generating €30.6 billion, 3.2% of the Dutch gross domestic product (GDP), and over 193,000 direct and indirect jobs, the port area is responsible for around 15% of CO₂ emissions in the Netherlands. That’s why the Porthos CO₂ transportation and storage project is at the heart of the new infrastructure in the Rotterdam region. Construction of the project started in early 2024 and is expected to be operational in 2026. Air Liquide is playing a leading role in the development of carbon capture, enabling the production of hydrogen with a significantly lower carbon footprint.

Capturing carbon at our Rozenburg site

At the site of Air Liquide’s hydrogen plant in Rozenburg, work is underway to install a new Cryocap™ carbon capture facility. “This is where the new unit will be built,” indicates Martijn Lub, Project Manager. “The construction site has been cleared, and the project is ready to start piling and civil works. Once installed, racks of piping will connect the Cryocap™ unit to the nearby steam methane reformer (SMR) and the connector to the Porthos pipeline.”

“There are many challenges when working on a project of this size and complexity in a live plant environment,” explained Ozge Bolcal, Project Director for Capital Implementation Europe. “Strong collaboration and communication between the operations and turnaround teams is key. Early engineering studies helped us to identify long lead time items and work on technical solutions with our partners and suppliers that save time and anticipate potential risks.”

Air Liquide’s Cryocap™ technology uses a low temperature process to condense and separate carbon dioxide during the production of hydrogen. "This new unit will capture CO₂ emissions from the SMR, reducing the site’s overall emissions by half,” explains Tom Eikmans, Senior Business Owner of the Porthos project at Air Liquide. Powered by renewable electricity, the new unit will be more efficient and have a lower carbon footprint than any competing processes.

Building an integrated CCS value chain from capture to sequestration

To develop a CCS value chain, Air Liquide shares its CO₂ expertise and technologies with partners with expertise in capture and transportation. The Group’s objective is to accelerate the development of CCS on a global scale, with projects underway in Europe, North America and Asia.

Tom Eikmans leads us to the connector that will link the carbon captured by the Cryocap™ unit to the Porthos pipeline. “It’s critical to develop an ecosystem approach with strong private and public partnerships to decarbonize key industrial bases through large scale CCS programs.” 

This massive infrastructure project represents a €1.3 billion public-private investment, undertaken by the Port of Rotterdam, Nederlandse Gasunie and Energie Beheer Nederland (EBN)¹. It integrates an onshore pipeline which runs 30 kilometers through the port’s industrial area to a compressor station at Maasvlakte, connecting the four industrial launching customers: Air Liquide, Air Products, ExxonMobil, and Shell. Together, they have committed to capture 2.5 million tonnes of CO₂ per year. 

“It is very important to work with established industrial players like Air Liquide, who bring their experience and expertise on CO₂, technology and operations. Their contribution is highly appreciated and very valuable to the development of the Porthos system,” explains Hans Meeuwsen, Director of the Porthos project.

Over 15 years, 37 million tonnes of CO₂, which represents around 10% of the CO₂ emitted by industrial activities in Rotterdam, will be safely and permanently stored over 3,000 meters below the North Sea.

Dimensioned for the future

Moving from millions of tons to gigatons captured by CCS

Industry must rise to the challenge of carbon neutrality. As recent reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) have highlighted, CCS is a relevant technology that can be used right now to capture large volumes of CO₂ emitted by industry. But scaling up projects will require a clearer regulatory framework to support the necessary investments. 

Jeroen Steens Commercial Delivery Director for the Port of Rotterdam believes, “We need regulations that are predictable with a long-term perspective. The framework needs to be strengthened to allow prompt permitting with subsidy schemes that offer acceptable terms for both infrastructure providers as well as industrial emitters.” 

As project Director of Porthos, Hans Meeuwsen agrees. “CCS projects often involve additional costs. Consequently, subsidies and higher carbon taxes are vital to support the business case. Scaling up CCS will help to reduce costs through economies of scale, and the ETS²-price will also have to further increase to encourage players to reduce CO₂ emissions. Because ultimately, that’s what we all want to achieve.”