Delta Rhine Corridor

To meet our climate targets, we need to reduce CO₂ emissions from heavy industries in the Netherlands and Germany. That will require new fuels and feedstocks. The Delta Rhine Corridor will transport those resources and ensure that wind energy produced offshore can also be used onshore. Making industries more sustainable will help strengthen the competitive position of various port and industrial areas in the country, including the Port of Rotterdam, the Moerdijk port and industrial area and the Chemelot industrial area.

Work is underway on three pipelines – for hydrogen, CO₂ and ammonia – and three direct current cables (collectively 6 gigawatts). In September 2023, the relevant ministers decided that these would be included in the spatial planning procedure. This removed the pipelines for natural gas, LPG and propylene that were included in the plans at the start of the project.

Gasunie has stated that a new natural gas pipeline is not needed, and no initiator was found for LPG and propylene, even after an active search. Moreover, no additional capacity for LPG and propylene is expected at the Port of Rotterdam, which would require more pipelines. The full explanation of the ministers’ decision can be found in the letter to the Lower House of Parliament dated 5 October 2023 (in Dutch).

In the Netherlands, the total route of the Delta Rhine Corridor will span about 270 kilometres and run through the provinces of South Holland, North Brabant and Limburg. The end users of the resources are located at various places along the route. This means that each pipeline or cable may have a different starting or ending point. For the hydrogen pipeline, we are also investigating where existing natural gas pipelines can be reused.

The starting point for the route is the strip the Dutch national government reserved in 2012 for future pipelines of national significance, the SVB strip. It will also be necessary to deviate from the SVB strip in several places, for example because pipelines are already there or because there are obstacles on or directly along the SVB strip.

The map on this website shows the SVB strip and the pipeline search area.

The pipelines and cables will be laid underground, so you will not see them. However, the land above them will remain undeveloped and there will be no trees on it. A few aboveground installations necessary for the use of the pipelines (e.g. to maintain the pressure or allow sections to be sealed off) will be located along the route. The precise locations of these installations are not yet known.

The pipelines will transport hydrogen, CO₂ and ammonia. Hydrogen is flammable when outside the pipeline, and high concentrations of ammonia are toxic when inhaled. For this reason, extensive research is being done into the safety of the pipelines, both in terms of design and integration. The pipelines will be built only if we can demonstrate that safety can be guaranteed, as it is for the existing underground (natural gas) pipelines.

Legal frameworks for the external safety of pipelines have been drawn up, and these also apply to the Delta Rhine Corridor. You can find them in the Decree on External Safety for Pipelines (Bevb; in Dutch).

Ammonia has never been transported on this scale and over this distance. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management will ensure that new frameworks are drawn up to guarantee that safety requirements are met for this ammonia pipeline.

Construction will be carefully planned to minimise inconvenience to local residents and businesses along the route. However, it is inevitable that local residents will encounter construction traffic and temporary road closures. And sometimes, disruption will be unavoidable. You will be notified of this well in advance of the work starting.

It is not yet clear exactly what type of work will be carried out and where. It is also not yet clear whether the pipelines and cables will be laid at the same time or in different phases. This will become clearer as the project progresses.

In general, pipelines and power cables will be laid through open excavation. This is the fastest method, presents the fewest risks, is the least expensive and simplifies management after commissioning.

At intersections or areas of concern, trenchless techniques like drilling a pipeline can also be used. The decision to do this depends on several factors, such as the effects on the surrounding area, available space and technical feasibility.

Well before we start construction, we will talk to the owners/users of the affected properties about the impact on their immediate surroundings. After all, we are well aware that we are guests on and in someone else’s land.

The choice of route takes into account various environmental features such as nature reserves, water catchment areas and flood defences, National Green Heritage sites and monumental trees.

The DRC route is based on the strip reserved in the Structural Vision for Pipelines 2012-2035 (in Dutch), better known as the SVB strip. We intend to avoid affecting natural areas as much as possible. That is why we want to work with nature conservationists to find (technical) alternatives to reduce the impact on natural areas. However, possible alternatives may conflict with other interests. It is therefore important to carefully examine all possible alternatives and balance them against each other.

This research is part of the draft Scope and Detail Memorandum (c-NRD), the next step in the DRC process. That document also states which environmental effects will be studied to prepare the environmental impact assessment, and it describes which possible routes will be included.
We expect the c-NRD to be published in 2024.

In the environmental impact assessment, we will evaluate the construction of the pipelines and the direct current connections for effects on the surrounding area. We will examine various environmental themes, such as soil, water, nature, landscape, cultural history and archaeology. For each environmental theme, we will assess whether there will be any consequences during construction or when the pipelines and cables are in operation. We will start the environmental impact assessment in 2024.

In the first phase of the study, the exploration, we are talking to the relevant municipalities, water boards, environmental organisations and interest groups. These talks began in summer 2023 and still take place regularly. Since research is needed at some locations to identify possibilities for the route, we are also already in discussions with some landowners.

We are still in the preparation phase, so specifics about the construction work and timetable are not yet known. Are you a landowner or land user, and does the proposed route run through your property? Then we will discuss the impact on your immediate surroundings with you well before we start construction. During these discussions, we will also talk about your business operations and which solutions are available. We will also discuss compensation options at that time.

Due to the size of the DRC, it is impossible to approach all landowners at the same time. A logical order will be determined.

Do you have questions? You are always welcome to contact us. You can do so by filling in the online contact form at this website. A regional coordinator has been appointed in each province. Your question will be passed along to your regional coordinator.

The central government designated the Delta Rhine Corridor as a project of national significance and has been coordinating decision-making since then. Energy projects that fall under the Government Coordination Scheme must go through a careful procedure to reach a project decision. The project procedure was created to shorten authorisation procedures and make them less complex. Projects subject to this procedure are also required to provide several opportunities for public comment.

At each step in the procedure, we in the project are actively communicating with parties in the surrounding area. The channels and methods we use for this depend on the project phase and the signals and requests we receive from regional authorities. Together with the Energy Projects Agency (RVO) and municipalities, we ensure that you are kept informed of developments in a variety of ways. You can also sign up for the newsletter at this website so you will not miss any information about the project.

For more information on the project, please visit Gasunie’s website. More information on this project from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy can be found on the RVO website (in Dutch).

Finally, you can contact one of the regional coordinators if you need personal assistance. Each province has its own regional coordinator to whom you can turn with questions, concerns, suggestions or requests for more information. You can use an online form to contact the regional coordinator in your province.

We think it is important that everyone who is affected by the DRC has the opportunity to express any interests, concerns, opinions or ideas. This gives us a better understanding of how the project is affecting the surrounding area and allows interests to be properly considered in trade-offs made for the project.

The proposal for participation describes how the project team intends to involve the surrounding area and stakeholders in the project. This document and more information from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy can be found on the RVO website (in Dutch). Currently, the proposal for participation, with additional input from the surrounding area, is being developed into a participation plan. We expect the participation plan to be published in 2024.

Your next opportunity to comment on the plans will be upon publication of the draft research plan, also called the draft Scope and Detail Memorandum (c-NRD). That document states which environmental effects will be studied to prepare the environmental impact assessment. It also describes which possible routes will be included. We expect the c-NRD to be published in 2024. The publication will be announced on a wide scale. Information meetings will also be organised, and everyone is welcome to attend.

The Dutch government sees a number of challenges in the areas of climate, the economy, security of energy supply, and energy independence from other countries. The government is facing the following challenges:

• Climate: the Netherlands must reduce its carbon emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990. This can be achieved by switching to renewable energy, such as hydrogen. In addition, efforts are being made to capture and permanently store CO₂ so that it does not end up in the atmosphere.
• Energy: sustainability, security of supply and energy independence are essential for the Dutch energy system. Developments such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine play a role in this.
• Economic value of industry: making business processes that currently use fossil feedstock and fuels more sustainable is essential for keeping the economic value of large industrial clusters in the Netherlands.

The pipelines in the Delta Rhine Corridor can provide a solution to these challenges. The construction of the Delta Rhine Corridor pipelines for hydrogen and CO₂ can make the large industrial clusters like the North Sea Canal area and Rotterdam/Moerdijk in the Netherlands (as well as clusters in Germany) drastically more sustainable. This way, we protect the climate while also ensuring that we become less dependent on other countries.
By connecting the Netherlands with Germany, the Delta Rhine Corridor will help bolster the strategic and economic position of the industrial areas in north-western Europe. The Delta Rhine Corridor will also reinforce the competitive position of the Port of Rotterdam as a hydrogen hub in north-western Europe.

• The Dutch Minister of Climate Policy and Green Growth is, together with the Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning, the competent authority for decision-making on the spatial integration of the project. The Dutch Ministry of Climate Policy and Green Growth is responsible for coordinating the project procedure. As the authority responsible for policy on infrastructure (such as pipeline infrastructure), the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management is also involved.
• Gasunie is the initiator for both the DRC West and DRC East project.
• The provincial authorities for the provinces of Zuid-Holland, Noord-Brabant and Limburg are involved in their role as competent authorities, as are the municipal authorities and water boards in the project areas for DRC West and DRC East.