Hydronex focuses on the development of energy hubs with an emphasis on green hydrogen. In places such as Steenwijk and Vriezeveen, the company is working on generating green electricity to then convert it into green hydrogen for nearby businesses.“The Netherlands and Europe are on the brink of electrification but are hitting the limits of the grid. The solution might be to partly use the electricity grid and additionally use batteries and hydrogen,” says Jasper Heutinck, energy project developer at Hydronex. “So far, we mainly see the application of (gray) hydrogen in the chemical industry; the green hydrogen chain doesn’t really exist yet. We are changing that.”Buying and selling hydrogen Hydronex was founded from the sustainability ambition of parent company Roelofsgroep. Jasper explains: “Roelofs wanted to make its own sand extraction more sustainable.” This led to the creation of Hydronex in 2020, which now supports more parties than just the parent company. “Our revenue model is the buying and selling of energy. We purchase electricity, convert it into hydrogen, and then sell it again,” Jasper explains. “Currently, we are working on energy hubs at ten locations. Two of them are frontrunners: in Steenwijk and in Vriezeveen. We expect to be operational there by the end of 2027.”250 times around the world on hydrogen At Eeserwold Business Park in Steenwijk, a new energy hub will soon supply companies with green hydrogen. And the load on the electricity grid will be reduced in an inventive way: “Previously, each company had its own connection with grid operator Rendo. That remains the case, but we are going to share the capacity. We call it a group transport agreement (GTO).” This formula combines the business park with solar panels and a hydrogen plant. “When there is little power consumption, we use solar energy to produce hydrogen,” Jasper explains.In Vriezeveen, a floating solar park is being built, surrounded by a wind farm. “From the generated electricity, we produce hydrogen. Part of it goes to industry, and part to construction sites.”The expectation is that both Steenwijk and Vriezeveen will each produce 500,000 kilograms of hydrogen annually. To give an idea of the value: with the total production from these two locations, a truck could drive 10,000,000 kilometers. That’s 250 times around the world.Subsidy accelerates the transition According to Hydronex, this accounts for “a large part of the future hydrogen production in Overijssel,” and there are still 8 other energy hubs in development. “Subsidy can accelerate the hydrogen transition. So I hope the application of H2earth in Brussels will be approved. In any case, the hydrogen ecosystem that emerges from H2earth will lead to knowledge exchange. And that’s good, because if we bundle our knowledge, we’ll move faster.”Jasper also likes to look across borders. “The collaboration with Germany within H2earth is only logical. The corridor from the North Sea to the Baltic States runs through East Netherlands to Germany. The need to make that route more sustainable doesn’t stop at the border. And in both the Netherlands and Germany, there are industries waiting for hydrogen.”Also view the <a href="https://hydronex.nl/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">website of Hydronex </a>(in Dutch).

Entrepreneur with a hydrogen vision: Jasper Heutinck works on the future