Spain’s Cepsa has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the port of Rotterdam’s planned ACE terminal to ship green ammonia exports from 2027, as part of a Spain-Netherlands green hydrogen corridor.

The ammonia will be either converted back to hydrogen at the terminal for industrial end-use, or consumed directly in shipping and industry in northwest Europe.

The ACE terminal’s developers—Gasunie, HES, and Vopak—have reserved space at the site for a potential ammonia cracker, although the firms have also joined a feasibility study on a central ammonia cracker in the port. The terminal, scheduled for startup in 2026, is expected to feed into Gasunie’s planned hydrogen network throughout central Europe.

The latest agreement builds on a MoU signed between Cepsa and the port of Rotterdam in October to export green hydrogen as ammonia or methanol via the Spanish port of Algeciras.

“This alliance makes the green hydrogen corridor a tangible reality” Wetselaar, Cepsa

Cepsa has previously announced it will invest a total of €5bn ($5.3bn) to install 2GW of electrolysers and 3GW of dedicated wind and solar capacity in Spain’s Andalusia region. The Andalusia Green Hydrogen Valley is expected to become a production and export hub underpinning a green hydrogen corridor between Spain and central Europe.

The Spanish oil and gas company plans to develop two 1GW projects with a combined 300,000t/yr in green hydrogen production capacity, one in Huelva near its La Rabida energy park and the other at its San Roque complex in Cadiz. The Huelva plant is scheduled for startup in 2026 and to reach full capacity in 2028, while the San Roque facility will begin operations in 2027.

Cepsa has separately announced it will collaborate with Lisbon-headquartered EDP on the conversion of the latter’s Los Barrios coal-fired thermal power plant—also in Cadiz—into a third 1GW green hydrogen plant.

“This alliance makes the green hydrogen corridor a tangible reality and increases the international potential of the Andalusian Green Hydrogen Valley, allowing green hydrogen produced by Cepsa in southern Spain to be used for industry and shipping in northern Europe,” says Maarten Wetselaar, CEO of Cepsa.

“Partnerships like these are examples of the collaboration needed across Europe to ensure energy security without jeopardising climate targets, and the important role that Cepsa, and Spain, can and must play in this journey.”

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Author: Polly Martin