Holland Hydrogen 1 in Rotterdam

3,000 tons of steel for Europe's largest green hydrogen plant

The largest green hydrogen plant in Europe is being built on the Second Maasvlakte in Rotterdam. The plant will be named Holland Hydrogen 1 (HH1) and is expected to be operational in the second half of this decade. From then on, the 200 MW Electrolyser will produce an average of 60,000 kilograms of renewable hydrogen per day. The renewable power for this will come from offshore wind farm Hollandse Kust Noord, which is partly owned by Shell. De Kok Staalbouw is helping to build the hydrogen plant on behalf of Visser & Smit Bouw. In total, the entire project involves some 3,000 tons of steel structures.

"The main building involves a heavy and robust steel structure of approximately 1,500 tons, with large trusses. In addition, we provided the complete engineering, delivery and assembly of approximately 4,000 m² of roof and wall cladding for this building, as well as various additional structural components," says Lonneke de Kok, Junior Project Leader at De Kok Staalbouw. "We are currently working on the realization of the approximately 850-ton steel structure for the cooling water building." In addition to these structures, De Kok Staalbouw is also responsible for the various crane tracks, monorails, piperacks, pipe supports and various outbuildings. To ensure that all parties can perform their work properly, safely and unhindered, it is involved early in the engineering process. In addition, the larger components, such as piperacks, are pre-assembled at the laydown area. After inserting the pipelines and installations, De Kok Staalbouw takes care of the final assembly and the bridges are lifted to their final location.

Dynamic process

To manage all the work, De Kok Staalbouw is working closely with Shell, Visser & Smit Bouw and their partners, says De Kok. "The hydrogen plant is constantly evolving. The same goes for engineering; it is a dynamic process. Because of the flexible deployability of our team, we know how to respond well to this. This is precisely what makes our work so much fun! Currently, the construction site is becoming increasingly crowded. This makes good cooperation increasingly important. Assembly is going very well, thanks in part to our detailed work plans and joint preparations. At the end of 2024, we hope to deliver our work."

Towards a climate neutral Europe

"Holland Hydrogen 1 should make an important contribution to the energy transition," says De Kok. "We as De Kok Staalbouw are particularly proud to be able to participate in this. With this and other projects, such as the realization of the sustainable sludge drying plant for HVC in Alkmaar, various overhead cranes for the production of offshore wind turbines in Bilbao, the 2GW land stations for Tennet and the Twentsche Kabelfabriek (TKF) in Eemshaven, we are taking important steps towards a climate-neutral Europe."

Leading player

De Kok Staalbouw is a steel construction company from Heerle, a town that falls under the municipality of Roosendaal. It is a real family business with a rich history dating back to 1927, when the first generation founded the company in the small town in the province of Noord-Brabant. Since then, De Kok Staalbouw has undergone tremendous development and has become a leading (inter)national player in the utility, industrial, petrochemical, sports & leisure, steel bridges, on- & offshore and crane building sectors.