State of the Market: Dutch Hydrogen Industry

26 May 2023

We would like to welcome you to another State of the Market article where we get a chance to explore specifics of an industry to provide some of the more interesting facts and developments for our Clients and Professionals, and this time, we are exploring the state of the Dutch (Green) Hydrogen Industry with Miranda de Kraker, Global Client Relations Manager. Miranda has years of experience within the Hydrogen industry and is the “go-to” person when it comes to anything and everything related to it, so we took the chance to ask the scope of the Hydrogen market, some exciting developments Dutch Professionals and Clients can look forward to and the role Atlas Professionals plays to ensure the industry has access to the talent it needs.

Miranda starts the conversation by providing some of the more prominent developments that are of interest to our Professionals: “We see several initiatives coming up in the Netherlands – and even though I cannot provide specific details about other markets I know they are following track as well – in the last couple of years aiming to sell green hydrogen as a source of fuel for numerous industries. Not just offshore, but onshore facilities like factories – and we provide white collar Professionals that help our Clients develop such projects. When these factories are done,” Miranda adds, “we will have a chance to provide blue collar Professionals for these factories too. When this happens, it will be a new feat for both Atlas Professionals and for the Netherlands as well!”

The Netherlands has plans to significantly increase its hydrogen production capacity via public and private investments. By 2030, it aims to have a production capacity of 500,000 tons of green hydrogen per year – the most sought-after type of hydrogen energy, compared to grey hydrogen - primarily driven by renewable sources such as wind and solar power. A similar approach is taken by many other nations across the world as well, further bolstering the importance of Hydrogen as an energy source of ever-increasing importance.

As a relatively new industry, Hydrogen is currently in need of skilled and able Professionals to lead the way and with more and more Clients starting to invest in the field, it looks like the demand for such Professionals will only increase. When asked about how feasible it is to pursue opportunities within the Hydrogen industry, we get an encouraging reply: “If you have experience in Oil & Gas, transitioning to Hydrogen can become an extremely easy feat as some of the positions carry over immediately for skilled Professionals such as those with experience as Electric Engineers, Electric Technicians, Gas Engineer – the skills one gathers here are really transferable,” adds Miranda.

At the Frontier of Transition

A key factor why many Dutch Hydrogen Clients enjoy cooperating with Atlas Professionals to secure the solutions they need boils down to the fact that how we were amongst the first companies to invest in the industry: “We always say “We are the Frontier” of our industries, and for Hydrogen, this was definitely the case here as well,” Miranda adds with a smile. “Atlas Professionals is one of the first companies that immediately started investing in the Hydrogen industry when it first started to grow in the Netherlands, and it is an area we are very excited about. We have been operating in this industry for years, made many acquaintances and are looking forward to meet more.”

To explore how we support Windcat, a prominent Client who has been developing, building and operating hydrogen fueled CTVs for the Offshore Wind industry, you can check out our article here.

Miranda also mentions how Hydrogen fits in nicely with ongoing efforts to increase the use of renewables: “Offshore industry is one of the biggest ones that aims to take advantage of hydrogen to further operate in a green manner, which is always a nice change for our Clients due to tender processes. Newer tenders are looking for renewable energy to be part of the deal – governments start to ask what a company has been doing for the environment in a more frequent manner: Are you helping, or are you aligned with our strategy?”

When asked about how far the industry can go, and whether it has a bright future or not, Miranda answers with a smile: “It’s going to sky high, really. It’s the new kid in town, everyone is focused on it. There is more to do, and much more to discover!”

To explore any Hydrogen related vacancies Atlas Professional has to offer, you can check out our web site here!