Morocco and the Netherlands join forces on green hydrogen production

Morocco and the Netherlands are reinforcing their cooperation on green hydrogen production.

Following a bilateral meeting that took place in the World Hydrogen Summit and Exhibition 2022 in Rotterdam last June, many projects are expected to see the light of day including the construction of a new green ammonia production plant in Jorf Lasfar.

Various partnership projects between Moroccan and Dutch operators in green hydrogen had been discussed.

The Dutch see very “significant potential” for Morocco to develop this new sector of energy transition.

This is another opportunity to highlight Morocco’s achievements in the field of renewable energies.

Unlike fossil fuels, hydrogen can be produced by anyone, but the conditions and costs differ.

Morocco’s intervention can play a really important role in its global production.

On July 19, 2022, following a successful public tender, an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) agreement was signed between Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) and Proton Ventures, in the presence of the Institute for Research on Solar Energy and New Energies (IRESEN) and Mr. Fred Duijn, Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Rabat, Morocco.

The collaboration between the two parties came to concretize the meaningful construction of an ammonia plant that converts green hydrogen and nitrogen into green ammonia via the Haber-Bosch process.

By granting a loan facility, based on a working capital guarantee through Atradius Dutch State Business to the engineering company Proton Ventures of Schiedam, Invest International made it possible to launch the construction of a new green ammonia production plant in Jorf Lasfar, Morocco.

Proton Ventures uses its innovative technology to produce ammonia from clean energy sources.

Joost Oorthuizen, Managing Director of Invest International declared: “We are delighted to finance this loan as it will promote economic growth in Morocco and make the country a continental hub for the future production of green hydrogen. In the future, Europe will have to source energy from abroad.

Morocco is a good place for large-scale hydrogen production because there is a lot of wind, sun, and land, a combination that we do not have on this scale in Northern Europe”.

Managing Director of Atradius Dutch State Business, Bert Bruning, also expressed how glad he is that an important project such as this one is being financed.

The project promises a great energy transition.
“This project and its partners clearly make a unique contribution to the production and trade of green hydrogen and, and strengthen the ties between the Netherlands and Morocco. We are proud that together with our partner Invest International, we can make a difference with this financing,” said Bert Burning.

Paul Baan, Managing Director of Proton Ventures stated that “This first ammonia/green hydrogen project is of great importance for the energy transition towards renewable sources.

This industrial-scale research facility will provide unique operational insights to enable further expansion in Morocco and beyond and foster the training of more hydrogen/ammonia experts.”

The energy plant called GAPP (Green Ammonia Pilot Plant) will produce green ammonia with a capacity of four tones per day using the Haber-Bosch process.

The pilot plant will be equipped with an emulator capable of simulating different electrical load profiles, in particular the hybridization of photovoltaic (PV) cells and wind energy, in different geographical areas in Morocco and other countries around the world.

Two electrolyzers of two megawatts each, drawing their energy from solar and wind power, should then be able to produce four tones of green ammonia daily.

The partners expect to be able to produce the first green ammonia in the first quarter of 2024. The plant will also be equipped with an emulator capable of simulating different electrical load profiles, including those of solar cells and wind energy.