'I Want to Be a Political Pioneer in the Field of Hydrogen'
'When it comes to hydrogen, you should be in Deventer!' With these words, Jaimi van Essen, Alderman for Energy, Sustainability, and Environment in Deventer, began a recent LinkedIn post. It doesn't stop at words. Deventer is part of the local GROHW Green Hydrogen Chain. Locally, the fourth phase has already been reached, marked by the official opening of the Nefit Bosch Hydrogen R&D Center in early September. Additionally, the consortium of the Municipality of Deventer, the Province of Overijssel, Firan, Essent, Enexis, Nefit NL, Nefit Industrial BV, and AsfaltNu signed an EOI (Expression of Interest).
This calls for including a connection to Deventer in the rollout of the national hydrogen network, Hynetwork. The EOI underscores the shared ambition to give Deventer a strategic role in the future hydrogen infrastructure. This positions the region as a serious candidate for sustainable growth and innovative industry.
Our Planet
It was former Prime Minister Dries van Agt who inspired Jaimi. "During my studies, he gave a lecture where he said that, looking back on his career, he sometimes wished he had had more courage. That intrigued me; you can be a pioneer in politics. Additionally, the well-known documentary Our Planet by David Attenborough inspired me to want to make a difference in the field of sustainability."
Cluster 6
If we want to achieve the 2050 climate goals, hydrogen plays an indispensable role in making the energy-intensive industry of Cluster 6 companies in the region more sustainable. Electrification is often not a solution for these companies. Switching from natural gas to hydrogen does make it possible for them to become more sustainable. Local hydrogen production alone is not enough to supply all those companies with hydrogen in the future, hence our interest in connecting to the backbone that will run 10 km from Deventer.
Economic Motivation
Sustainability is not the alderman's only driver. "There is also an economic motivation. We are hitting the limits of the energy grid. We want companies and future residents to maintain access to affordable electricity. For this reason, grid congestion and energy availability are prominent parts of Deventer's budget. We have allocated one and a half million euros for it. No, that is not solely the responsibility of grid operators and energy companies. The municipality also has a role. By consciously reserving money for this topic, we can allocate sufficient manpower to it. That helps."
Role
"The role of the municipality is to bring parties together and alert companies to the possibilities. We have a slightly better overview of everything that's happening. For example, AsfaltNu is on the eve of a company renewal. Joining the consortium now offers a good opportunity for sustainability. Furthermore, we issue permits and are involved in subsidies, such as the Regio Deal for GROWH. The municipality also takes responsibility towards the national government by actively contributing to thinking about new regulations."
Future
What will have been achieved in ten years? "By then, GROWH will have fully matured, and it will be up to the leaders of that project to officially inaugurate the connection from the national hydrogen network pipeline to Deventer. And many more companies will have joined the consortium. Additionally, we are investigating whether it is possible to use the waste heat from hydrogen production to heat the built environment."
"For the beautiful historic city center with its monumental buildings, sustainability is necessary; otherwise, it will become unaffordable to live or work there. You simply don't put a heat pump on the roof of a 16th-century monument. Hydrogen could potentially play a role in this in the future."
Leading the Way
Van Essen is keen to share the Deventer approach. "I do that, for example, within the Energyboard Overijssel in West Overijssel. The theme of hydrogen is not for timid administrators. If you lead the way, you take risks—financially, that something might not succeed, and that this influences public opinion. But, if you run fast, you can start early later. Other municipalities are very welcome to visit our consortium. When it comes to energy, you can always call me."
