Hoogeveen starts construction of hydrogen pipeline network
Construction of a hydrogen pipeline network started in Hoogeveen. This system will soon provide heating for newly built homes in Nijstad-Oost. Existing homes in Erflanden can also be connected to the system. This is a significant milestone after a period of planning and consultation. The municipality of Hoogeveen is a partner in the programme HEAVENN, of which New Energy Coalition is coordinator.
Intensive collaboration with residents and various partners
Alderman Jeroen Westendorp recounted the years of preparation leading up to this moment: "We've been working on these plans since 2018, together with 22 partners and made possible by subsidies from the Province of Drenthe, the national government, and Europe. We've also collaborated intensively with involved residents. Because when plans are made to equip existing homes with a new heating system, it's only natural to develop those plans together with the residents of those homes." The installation and transition to hydrogen is new and has hardly been implemented in the Netherlands yet. That is why a lot of customisation is needed in areas such as technology, regulations, and finance. "Now we're at the special moment where we're moving from jointly devising to jointly implementing," said the alderman.
Before the shovel went into the ground, the collaborating partners symbolically signed the collaboration agreement for the first phase of the hydrogen project: the construction of the hydrogen distribution system and the connection of homes in Nijstad-Oost and several existing homes in Erflanden. Westendorp: "We hope to connect the first homes in the Erflanden neighborhood to the system after the summer of 2023, and later also the new homes in Nijstad-Oost." A council decision will then be made regarding the further approach in Erflanden.
Hydrogen as a green substitute for natural gas
The Netherlands must phase out natural gas in the future. The project Waterstof Hoogeveen aims to heat homes with a hydrogen-powered central heating boiler. This project involves newly built homes in Nijstad-Oost and existing homes in a section of Erflanden, bordering Nijstad-Oost. With this project, the partners aim to demonstrate that hydrogen is a viable, green alternative to natural gas. Part of the project involves reusing RENDO's existing natural gas network for hydrogen transport, eliminating the need to install new pipelines where natural gas pipelines already exist. With the Hydrogen District, Hoogeveen aims to contribute to making neighborhoods more sustainable with green hydrogen. Westendorp: "We can learn now, together with other hydrogen projects in Lochem, Wagenborgen, and Stad aan het Haringvliet. This way, we can work on the necessary conditions for scaling up to other neighborhoods in the Netherlands after 2030."
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