Royal visit: King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands at the ZBT

During a working visit to North Rhine-Westphalia on the subject of hydrogen, King Willem-Alexander and Minister President Hendrik Wüst visited the ZBT, among other places. He spoke with scientists and visited a laboratory and the ZBT’s hydrogen test field.

At the invitation of NRW Minister President Hendrik Wüst, the King of the Netherlands, His Majesty Willem-Alexander of Orange-Nassau, paid a working visit to North Rhine-Westphalia. The topic of hydrogen also took them to the ZBT – The Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Center in Duisburg. The King and the Prime Minister were accompanied by State Secretary Hans Vijlbrief from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy and a large business delegation from the Netherlands led by Theo Henrar.

Latest news: King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and North Rhine-Westphalia’s Minister-President Hendrik Wüst are being shown around the hydrogen test field at the ZBT - The Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Center - by a member of staff.

ZBT Managing Director Dr. Peter Beckhaus and Prof. Dr. Harry Hoster, Scientific Director of the ZBT, welcomed the prominent guests. Barbara Albert, Rector of the University of Duisburg-Essen, represented the university as a shareholder of the ZBT during the visit.

In small rounds of talks, Willem-Alexander and Wüst discussed hydrogen technologies such as electrolysis and fuel cells, derivatives such as ammonia and the necessary infrastructure with ZBT scientists and members of the business delegation. The monarch was very interested in both the technical and economic aspects of a future hydrogen economy.

The guests then visited a fuel cell laboratory, where the ZBT presented the result of a development cooperation with its Dutch partner Nedstack Fuel Cell Technology. The tour concluded with a visit to the hydrogen test field, where the ZBT is developing and testing new technologies for hydrogen filling stations, among other things. Finally, King and Prime Minister drove to their next appointment at the Port of Duisburg in the ZBT fuel cell vehicle.

Hydrogen plays a decisive role in the energy transition. This will require large quantities of green hydrogen in the future. The state of North Rhine-Westphalia wants to develop a climate-neutral industrial region with the help of hydrogen. This offers strategic opportunities for the Netherlands as an import and transit country to Germany.

 

Image Collection

King Willem-Alexander (second from left) and Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (centre) with representatives from the worlds of business, research and politics in front of the hydrogen filling station at the ZBT King Willem-Alexander (second from left) and Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (centre) with representatives from the worlds of business, research and politics in front of the hydrogen filling station at the ZBT
In the fuel cell laboratory, department head Jörg Karstedt demonstrates the work being carried out at the institute. In the fuel cell laboratory, department head Jörg Karstedt demonstrates the work being carried out at the institute.
The project managers presented the King and the Prime Minister with a new product from the cross-border cooperation between Nedstack and ZBT. The project managers presented the King and the Prime Minister with a new product from the cross-border cooperation between Nedstack and ZBT.
During their visit to the ZBT, King Willem-Alexander, State Secretary Vijlbrief and Minister-President Wüst took an interest in the research and development work being carried out at the hydrogen test field. (Click on the images to enlarge) During their visit to the ZBT, King Willem-Alexander, State Secretary Vijlbrief and Minister-President Wüst took an interest in the research and development work being carried out at the hydrogen test field. (Click on the images to enlarge)

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