Shell and Linde will share electricity at their Pernis plant with the entire Port of Rotterdam grid, via an energy hub (e-hub).
An e-hub is a collaboration between several parties that share electricity locally. In this case, Shell had surplus energy capacity, which Linde can use to optimize the performance of its compressors. This is essential, as the Port of Rotterdam’s high-voltage grid has been full since 2022.
Linde uses the electricity to pressurize the CO2 captured at the refinery with its compressors, so it can be transported to the Porthos CO2 transport and storage project. The grid operator Stedin helped establish the power hub.
To reduce the overall pressure on the Port of Rotterdam’s electricity grid, companies need flexibility. There are several ways to use the electricity grid more flexibly: consuming less electricity during peak hours or generating more energy to balance supply and demand. Or, as in this case, exchanging capacity between parties. This allows Stedin and TenneT, the high-voltage grid operator, to guarantee grid reliability and generate capacity, which allows Linde and Shell to implement their plans during periods of congestion.
The grid operators Stedin and TenneT collaborate with the Port of Rotterdam Authority, Deltalinqs, and the business community in a package of measures for the port to prevent overloads and power cuts, as well as to create space for customers on the waiting list. At the same time, the grid operators are working hard to expand the port’s electricity grid.
