ROTTERDAM RHINE PIPELINE (RRP): Delta Corridor Promises Much for Northern Europe
As the leading pipeline operator across the Netherlands and Germany, moving millions of tonnes of crude and other products under the ground, RRP is the perfect partner for organisations looking to build and grow on existing infrastructure to create a sustainable system for the future.
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At the busy Port of Rotterdam, a central energy hub for the European market, many tankers and shuttles dock every day, unloading oil, gas, LPG, and LNG and other commodities for trade on the continent, and for energising industrial processes across the Netherlands and Germany and beyond.
The region is a powerhouse, with the two key markets of northern Europe producing major electrical supply, and utilising a supply chain infrastructure that is world-leading and historic.
However, it’s not all as obvious as it seems. 30,000 sea going vessels arrive each year, with 467 million tonnes of freight moving in and out of Europe. Of that, liquid bulk is an important segment. Crude and mineral oil, and LNG are vital for the economies of the region, and when they arrive, a percentage is sent off in tankers but some enters a pipe network that disappears under our feet to move quietly and safely for hundreds of miles.
Traditionally, oil has been the main fuel utilising the pipeline network. In 1958, Rotterdam Rijn Pijpleiding Maatschappij (RRP) was founded as a company to move oil from the Netherlands to the industrial centres of Germany. A 24 inch pipeline was buried, allowing for 24/7 uninterrupted transportation, but this was later upgraded to a 36 inch pipeline as demand on the system increased. Today, pumps at tank terminals at Botlek, Europoort and on the Maasvlakte pressurise forces that drive products through the pipeline to the RRP tank terminal at Venlo in the Netherlands east. From here, products are pumped to German refineries at Gelsenkirchen and Cologne.
Oil has always been the focus, but natural gas and other sources of energy could soon join the pipeline’s product portfolio as expansion and development continues at pace.
EXPANSION
In May 2022, RRP MD Dick Hosman told Energy Focus about a fresh strategy for European energy which would see new pipelines installed close to RRP. Introducing hydrogen to the mix continues to be appealing, while sending excess cardon dioxide from industrial applications back in the other direction for utilisation and storage is equally as interesting.
The project, recognised as the Delta Corridor, would see the construction of four new pipelines between Rotterdam, Chemelot industrial site in the southern Netherlands, and North Rhine-Westphalia – the large state in Germany’s northwest with a host of industrial organisations. The idea is to transport C4-LPG, propylene, hydrogen, and CO2.
“We are the right party to work on this. We are knowledgeable, experienced, we know what we are doing, and we are able to join into teams,” he said.
As the Delta Corridor project gains traction, and the various stakeholders continue to innovate to bring it to life, the realisation that underground pipelines are essential continues to be shared. Currently, RRP moves enough product in one hour to remove 4000 trucks from the road. Major companies are signing up the support the Delta Corridor including Port of Rotterdam, Shell, bp, RWE, thyssenkrupp, LyondellBasell, HeidelbergCement, Attero and Chemelot.
But moving hydrogen in this new system, with RRP providing insight and expertise on how to manage complex infrastructure of this nature, is where those involved are placing their bets for longer-term sustainability.
In 2022, confirmation came from the Port of Rotterdam that by 2030, the cluster of companies operating around the port could supply 4.6 megatonnes of hydrogen, planning to move through pipelines. 70 entities have endorsed the intent from the port cluster to bring the hydrogen economy to life, with the promise of saving some 46 million tonnes of CO2 annually.
“Using sustainable hydrogen substantially contributes to the European objectives of reducing climate change and increasing Europe’s energy independence. With the production and import of renewable and low carbon hydrogen we build a sustainable future,” says Allard Castelein, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority.
ATTRACTIVE PARTNER
Using the regions buried pipelines, even hydrogen imported from other parts of the world can quickly and efficiently be distributed across northern Europe.
“Through our existing knowledge and experience and through the synergy with our existing pipelines, we are a very attractive partner for the future operation and management of new infrastructure,” says Hosman.
Currently, the project is hurdling various stages of planning and approval – essential in such a large infrastructure development that will, essentially, become an energy corridor of Europe, fuelling industry and progress from west to east, before returning CO2 to Rotterdam and off for storage at sites in the North Sea.
Of course, the major and primary concern is safety. And this is where RRP steps in as a premier partner. Running the oil pipeline it does, for so long, without incident, is a significant accomplishment and a testament for the supply chain and processes implemented by the company which is a JV between Shell, Ruhr Oel and BP.
“We are a safe and innovative pipeline company that excels because it is a leader in its sector. By using our experience, knowledge, skills and passion, we can play an important role for our shareholders and society in accelerating a controlled energy transition for a sustainable future,” reiterates Hosman.
“For more than 65 years we have been doing this safely, reliably, and we believe we are the best at what we do in this market,” he adds.
With much yet to be confirmed, and the roadmap for hydrogen still being plotted, few things are certain. Two things, however, are as concrete as they can be: Hydrogen will definitely form the base of energy in the future, and RRP is the only pipeline provider with the level of expertise and a safety track record that is able to consult on the best way to engineer the next generation of energy traffic under our feet.