Hydrogen Front-Runner in Deventer: GROHW Makes the Decentralised Hydrogen Chain a Reality
In Deventer, the GROHW consortium showcases a unique collaboration between government, education, and industry. They are well on their way to becoming the first operational green hydrogen chain in the Netherlands. With the official opening of the demo installation and the plans for scaling up, GROHW demonstrates that hydrogen can play a key role at the local level in achieving energy independence and relieving the overloaded electricity grid.
The urgency for action in the energy transition is high. Through regional collaboration across the entire supply chain, GROHW’s local ecosystem shows that a completely new and balanced decentralised energy ecosystem can emerge. The core of the project is the development of a scalable, green, and local hydrogen system. The groundbreaking approach focuses on:
- Integrated use of by-products: In addition to green hydrogen, the released oxygen and residual heat are also used.
- Decentralised production and distribution: Hydrogen production is brought close to end-users, significantly reducing the costs of road transport. At the same time, the project keeps an eye on potential future connection to the national hydrogen backbone, which is currently being prepared.
- Strategy against grid congestion: The system generates, stores, and distributes sustainable electricity locally, with green hydrogen as an essential building block.
Scaling Up
Getting started has been crucial for GROHW; it is precisely by beginning that the project can accelerate. In 2025, the first hydrogen was delivered to Nefit Bosch via tanker trucks, bridging the period until the local electrolyser becomes operational. The next acceleration lies in the phased and planned expansion:
- Phase 2: Commissioning of the newly built electrolyser and the local hydrogen distribution network.
- Phase 3: Depending on growing demand, scaling up is foreseen from 2.5 MW to 50 MW.
Front-Runner Award
The success has not gone unnoticed. On 26 November, the consortium received the Front-Runner Award from Jörg Gigler, director of TKI Nieuw Gas, on behalf of Netherlands Hydrogen Nation. This is a well-deserved recognition for a project that, as the jury emphasised, “combines courage, decisiveness, and a strategic vision of the hydrogen economy.”
The blueprint being developed by the GROHW partners is invaluable. It provides practical knowledge about system development, regulations, and the complex reality of establishing such a structure. These experiences will contribute to accelerating the energy transition and may inspire future hydrogen hubs worldwide.
GROHW is an initiative by, among others, Witteveen+Bos, Essent, Firan, Nefit Bosch and Brandeniers. In the photo, from left to right: Frank Rubingh (Brandeniers), Benjamin Pilzer (Firan), Frank Lankhorst (Nefit Bosch), Bas van der Stelt (Essent), Raphaël van der Velde (Witteveen+Bos).
With the Front-Runner Award, we put Dutch hydrogen projects in the spotlightprojects that shape our hydrogen economy and showcase the innovative power that puts the Netherlands on the map.
