Coffee with: Mark Hoolwerf, Deputy Director at Port of Amsterdam: Hoolwerf (LinkedIn) serves as the International Deputy Director of Port of Amsterdam, the second largest port in the Netherlands and a hub that is eying green fuels imports from both Egypt and the UAE. Prior to serving as the Deputy Director, he acted as the Area Manager for four regions including the UK & Ireland, West Africa, North Africa, and Latin America.

The Port of Amsterdam has plans to import one mn tons of green hydrogen annually after 2030, has signed an agreement to establish a 500 MW green hydrogen plant in the Dutch capital’s port area, and has signed a spate of green fuels-focused agreements to establish hydrogen corridors to the EU both with regional developers, and foreign players, including with the Port of Bilbao.

We sat down for a brief chat with Hoolwerf on the sidelines of the Green Hydrogen Summit in Egypt last week to talk about green fuels generation potential in MENA, and discuss the Dutch government’s plans to source green hydrogen from the region given the EU bloc’s target to source 10 mn tons of low-carbon fuels by 2030.

Enterprise: Where do you see the green hydrogen sector going in Egypt, given the USD 83 bn worth of agreements signed during COP27 last November?

Mark Hoolwerf: I think the potential in Egypt is tremendous. The Port of Amsterdam is working with several companies in the region, including producers with planned projects as well as prospective producers in the early stages. Egypt is one of the countries with the highest potential to deliver cheap green fuels in comparison to some of the other countries that we are looking at, which is attributable to Egypt’s prime geographical position and proximity to export markets like the EU. Its efficient renewable energy resources; whether it be high solar radiation or high wind speeds, which is another important asset.

I think the name of the game is making sure that you can support and facilitate the ones that have the highest potential and show the largest commitment to actually get it off the ground.

E: What is Port of Amsterdam’s level of interest in MENA’s green hydrogen sector?

MH: We're very keen on ensuring the Port of Amsterdam has sufficient green fuel supplies to meet climate action targets, that’s why we are collaborating with producers in several countries. Our concern is on matching the cost of getting the hydrogen from countries like Egypt and the wider MENA region to the port of Amsterdam in a cost-effective manner and meeting what EU offtakers are willing and able to pay. In January, the Port of Amsterdam and Dutch firms SkyNRG, Evos Amsterdam, and Zenith Energy Terminals signed an agreement with the UAE’s Masdar to explore the possibilities of green fuel exports to Europe. The Dutch government has similar agreements with countries like Oman, and Saudi Arabia that focus on supporting the development of hydrogen corridors.

The Gulf is obviously one of the front runners, especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE. In North Africa, I think Egypt and Morocco have tremendous potential. Algeria is also showing promise.

E: What are your expectations for COP28? What outcomes are you hoping for?

MH: Usually what you see is a lot of promises and intentions basically being declared, but what we would like to see is those words translated to actual commitments. It’s a bit of a cliche answer, but it is definitely what we are hoping for, especially when it comes to hydrogen. Over the last couple of years, there have been a lot of MoUs without translation to concrete commercial agreements. Getting preliminary green hydrogen agreements off the drawing board and on the ground is very challenging, but that’s what I would like to see most.