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His Majesty the King symbolically activated the first section of the national hydrogen network in Rotterdam on Wednesday, 20 May. Together with Minister Stientje van Veldhoven of Climate and Green Growth and Gasunie CEO Willemien Terpstra, the King marked the completion of the first pipeline segment in the Port of Rotterdam: a 32-kilometre pipeline connecting the Maasvlakte and Pernis. This marks an important milestone in the development of a Dutch and European hydrogen infrastructure.

A small section of the potential route near Donckse Velden in Ridderkerk presents a number of challenges. As a result, Hynetwork is exploring several route options within a study area between Bolnes and Slikkerveer. Regional Manager Juanne Rours explains why this is necessary.

Recently, a specialised inspection was carried out on an existing natural gas pipeline that is part of the Hydrogen Network North Sea Canal Area and Hydrogen Network Western Netherlands projects. This pipeline is being prepared for a new future: transporting hydrogen. But how do we ensure that a pipeline can be used for hydrogen? The first step is to assess the condition of the pipes. Pigging engineer Patrick de Vries explains how this process works.

His Majesty the King will perform the starting ceremony for the construction of the first part of the national hydrogen network on the Tweede Maasvlakte in Rotterdam on the afternoon of Friday 27 October.

Building a hydrogen network requires working in an area where people, industry and nature coexist in close proximity. That is why we not only focus on engineering and safety when constructing the hydrogen network, but also on everything that grows, blooms, flies and walks. Ecology is a key part of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) . Stijn Nollen, ecology adviser at Gasunie, explains how we are taking great care to protect nature during the construction of Hydrogen Network North Sea Canal Area.

On Thursday 29 June, Hynetwork Services and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate organised a Market update event for (future) customers. We look back on a well-attended meeting with 110 people in the room and around 90 online participants.

We can reuse an existing natural gas pipeline between Spaarndam and Zuidbroek for Hydrogen Network Western Netherlands, and we will soon adapt it to transport hydrogen. Before we can begin, we are investigating the ground at various locations along the pipeline. That work began in September.

Valves are an important part of the hydrogen network. They help us control the flow of hydrogen safely. Valves allow us to temporarily isolate sections of a pipeline, when necessary, for example during maintenance or in the event of a fault.

How can you carry out a large-scale energy project while ensuring the least possible impact on the environment? That question applies to all Hynetwork projects and is the starting point for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Nathalie Kaarls, project procedure and environmental reporting coordinator at Hynetwork, takes us through phase 2 of the EIA for the future hydrogen network in the North Sea Canal area.

Hynetwork 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 on Wednesday, 20 May. The two national hydrogen networks will be interconnected, making use wherever possible of existing natural gas pipelines that will be repurposed for hydrogen transport. The companies are aiming to realise the connection between Zevenaar and Elten around 2031. For Hynetwork, this is the fourth agreement relating to cross‑border connections with Germany and Belgium.

The first major pipeline section of the Dutch hydrogen network has been filled with hydrogen. To fill the 32km-long pipeline, 32 tonnes of RFNBO-certified green hydrogen were procured, along with customised unloading infrastructure needed for the first pipeline cleaning and filling operations. The work was done in partnership with Plug Power Inc., which was selected following a public procurement process.

A shaft twenty-five metres deep. Pipes eighteen metres long that cannot be lowered in one piece. So they are cut in half, welded back together underground, and pulled through. This is how construction progressed in Rotterdam on the first section of the national hydrogen network: 32 kilometres of pipeline, right through the port area, ready for industrial connections.

Good news for the energy transition in Southwest Netherlands: the State Secretary for Climate and Green Growth has selected the preferred route for the hydrogen network. This route is referred to as the Preferred Alternative (PA). This marks an important milestone towards the development of the hydrogen network.

We are currently working on an important next step for Hydrogen Network Drenthe Overijssel. Recently, surveys have been carried out along the preferred route, and we have held discussions with landowners, public authorities and representatives from the local area. The applications for the permits we need have been submitted, and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy is preparing the draft project decision. It describes what the hydrogen network will look like, where the pipeline will be laid and which surveys have been carried out. It also explains how the local area and the natural environment have been taken into account. The draft project decision, together with the draft permits, is expected to be published for public inspection in October 2026. The documents will then be available for anyone to review and comment on.

Kelvin Peperkoorn and Heleen Sarink know the landscape and soil of the northern Netherlands well by now. They have learned where protected species are found, which waterways will be crossed and where drilling is preferable to excavation. For more than a year, they have been working on phase 2 of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) – the phase in which the preferred route of the hydrogen network is worked out in detail. Construction will not begin until an official project decision has been taken, which is expected in 2027. In this interview, Kelvin and Heleen explain which studies are needed and why they are essential to that decision.

In December 2024, we published the new proposal to update the roll-out plan. Stakeholders had until 31 January to respond to this proposal. We would like to sincerely thank all those who made the effort to submit a response. We will keep your responses confidential and will not publish them or share them with third parties.

We recently organised two working sessions about the new hydrogen pipeline that will be laid in the western Netherlands. Together with more than 50 representatives from the province, municipalities, water boards, cable and pipeline owners and other stakeholders, we looked at the possible routes for the new-build section of the hydrogen pipeline. Juanne Rours, regional manager for the project, briefly explains what the working sessions produced.

Hynetwork is investigating several potential routes for the new hydrogen pipeline that will be laid between Zuidbroek and Mijnsheerenland as part of the Hydrogen Network Western Netherlands project. It is a challenging task: the area is densely developed, with many residential areas, roads and motorways, rivers, and nature and recreation areas.

Before the Preferred Alternative was adopted, we invited the local community and stakeholders to share their views on the proposed route. The draft Preferred Alternative was available for public consultation from 7 November to 18 December 2025. During this period, around 120 people attended three information meetings. In total, we received 31 responses from residents, businesses, municipalities and organisations.

“…you can’t help but feel proud when you see that we have delivered something of such high quality in Rotterdam’s pipeline corridor.” We are building the hydrogen network in the Netherlands step by step. Wherever possible, we make use of existing infrastructure, while maintaining the highest standards of safety and minimising our impact on the surrounding environment. In doing so, we are helping to ensure a reliable energy supply, both now and in the future.