Speech by Prime Minister Mark Rutte at an event announcing the construction of Holland Hydrogen 1

Speech | 06-07-2022

Mr van Beurden,

Ms van Loon,

Ms Mascolo,

Ladies and gentlemen,

There couldn’t be a better, more symbolic place to announce the construction of Europe’s largest hydrogen facility than the Louwman Museum.
Here today, surrounded by an amazing heritage, we’re looking ahead to an amazing future.
Sometimes, it’s easy to lose sight of that.
Especially with all the difficult political and public debates on climate goals, the energy transition, and an emission-free world.
Sometimes, it all just seems so hard.
As if there’s nothing but obstacles on the road ahead.
It’s true that the challenge we face is enormous.
And it will change the way we live, work and earn our money.
It’s true that we have no other choice.
That we must change.
But it’s also true that we can change.
And that doing so will create opportunities.
That’s what I think this meeting is about.
And I really wanted to be here to underline that point.

By building Holland Hydrogen 1, Shell will give the Dutch hydrogen market a real boost.
So congratulations are in order.
And this is only the beginning.
Because countless companies and knowledge institutions are working now to generate the hydrogen economy of tomorrow.
The government is supporting this process by investing in infrastructure, and by granting subsidies.
Because we want to achieve our climate goals, though the war in Ukraine won’t make it any easier.
We want to reduce our dependence on Russian gas.
We want the Netherlands to lead the way in the European energy transition.
And all these ambitions are combined in the Holland Hydrogen 1 project.

So you can imagine how delighted I am that Shell has chosen to make this massive investment here in the Netherlands.
It shows that Shell is determined to be a key player in the clean-energy market of the future. And that it will keep investing in that market.
It also shows that, for a company like Shell, our country provides a crucial springboard to that promising future.

Holland Hydrogen 1 will benefit from everything the Netherlands has to offer.
The might of Rotterdam’s port complex.
Enormous wind power capacity nearby, allowing the facility to run on fossil-free energy from day one.
A new distribution pipeline, which will allow more than 2,000 lorries to travel to and from Rotterdam using clean hydrogen.
And, of course, all the knowledge and skills available in our country.

In short, this is a great day for Shell, for the Dutch government, and for the Netherlands.
A day that proves Nelson Mandela’s famous maxim: ‘It always seems impossible until it’s done.’
Or, as they say in Rotterdam, ‘No words, just deeds.’
So after today, it will be time to roll up your sleeves and get to work.
And it seems to me that the name Holland Hydrogen 1 contains a veiled promise.
The promise of a Holland Hydrogen 2, 3 and beyond.
So, above all, let’s keep working together to deliver the energy of the future.

Thank you.