Van Kessel: from fuel trader to hydrogen distributor
Originally a fuel trader, Van Kessel is now also a producer, transporter and distributor of green hydrogen. The family business, now led by its fourth generation, operates an electrolyser in Nieuwegein and is building a second one in Oude-Tonge, a town in the municipality of Goeree-Overflakkee.
“At Nieuwegein, we use the solar park right next door,” says Johan van Mierlo, Van Kessel’s technical director. When the sun isn’t shining, the company uses green electricity from the grid. Van Kessel has signed a PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) for this. According to Van Mierlo, the associated filling station is one of the largest hydrogen stations in the Netherlands and is now close to capacity. “We are one of very few companies that produce and deliver certified green hydrogen.”
Alongside its permanent filling stations, Van Kessel also deploys mobile hydrogen generators. These are used, among other places, in Natura 2000 areas, where diesel generators are not permitted because of their emissions, and at events such as those held at the Zandvoort circuit. The generators are also used at construction sites for projects that might otherwise not receive a permit because of nitrogen emissions. For transport, the company has nine tube trailers, making it one of the largest hydrogen transporters in the Netherlands.
According to Van Mierlo, demand for hydrogen is growing gradually. Transport companies operating MAN trucks, taxi companies and the Ministry of Defence are among those driving increased demand for green hydrogen. Subsidy schemes such as SWIM (the Hydrogen in Mobility Subsidy Scheme) help break the chicken-and-egg cycle between supply and demand.
No single company can build the hydrogen supply chain alone, says Van Mierlo. For the electrolyser in Nieuwegein, Van Kessel works with Scholman and Allied Water under the name HySolar.
Van Mierlo expects hydrogen to remain a niche alongside electrification, but says it will be a necessary one. That is why Van Kessel is investing in it. For heavy-duty and long-distance transport, Van Mierlo sees hydrogen as a logical choice, particularly because refuelling is faster and offers greater range than charging an electric vehicle.
