Cepsa and ACE Terminal have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) by which the Spanish energy company will supply green ammonia to the planned import terminal in the port of Rotterdam, for end use applications in the industry after conversion of the ammonia back into H₂, or for direct end use in the shipping and other industries in Northwest Europe.

Cepsa is developing 2 GW of green H₂ at its two Energy Parks in Andalusia, southern Spain, as part of its 2030 Positive Motion strategy to become a leader in sustainable mobility and the production of renewable H₂ and advanced biofuels and a benchmark in the energy transition. The two H₂ plants, with a €3-B investment, will form part of the Andalusian Green Hydrogen Valley, the largest green H₂ hub in Europe, for which Cepsa has recently signed several partnership agreements across the H₂ value chain.

On the import side, Gasunie, HES International and Vopak have partnered to develop ACE Terminal as an entry point to the Netherlands for ammonia as a carrier for green H₂ as well as a sustainable feedstock. The open access terminal will be in the port of Rotterdam, a very important port for Northwest Europe from an energy point of view. With the planned reuse of assets and infrastructure, ACE Terminal is a project with a short time to market. The MoU with Cepsa is the first of agreements aimed between additional clients and the ACE open access hub terminal for green H₂ and ammonia imports.

The MoU between Cepsa and ACE Terminal entails a cooperation intended to lead to a binding commercial agreement to facilitate the oversea transport of green ammonia, to redistribute the green ammonia to end markets in the hinterland, and to process the green ammonia into green H₂ ready for use by end customers in Northwest Europe. The location of ACE Terminal in the port of Rotterdam offers direct connection to Rotterdam's industry and the planned national H₂ network and has an excellent connection to the infrastructure into Northwest Europe.

By importing green energy that can be produced competitively by Cepsa in southern Spain thanks to conditions such as ample sun, wind and land, a solid electricity grid and access to high traffic ports, the alliance helps to decarbonize industry and transport in the North and ensure energy independence, security and affordability in Europe.

The alliance with ACE Terminal reinforces Cepsa’s agreement with the Port of Rotterdam to export H₂ produced at its San Roque Energy Park near the Bay of Algeciras through H₂ carriers such as ammonia, establishing the first green H₂ corridor between southern and northern Europe and ensuring a green H₂ supply chain between two of Europe’s main ports, Rotterdam and Algeciras.

Cepsa aims to start the first green H₂ exports from Spain in 2027, timing that is well aligned with the ACE Terminal project timeline.

Rob Jetten, Minister for Climate and Energy, who was present at the signing of the MoU in Madrid, said, “This MoU between Cepsa and ACE Terminal is a great example of the type of collaborations that are needed, and we want to stimulate with the new MoU in the field of renewable H₂ between Spain and the Netherlands. It constitutes a significant milestone for the European H₂ Strategy in developing H₂ corridors between south and north Europe. This will enable us to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and to achieve the Dutch decarbonization and climate goals.”