Sustainability begins here: Henk Zwaak on our contribution to Shell’s Red2Green

At STAR we know the market well. That’s why we know exactly how we can help our clients and specialists move forward. That is what we do, for example, at Red2Green, the construction of a biofuel plant for Shell. “If you want to contribute to sustainability, you can make a big difference here,” says Henk Zwaak, Sales manager at STAR.

Reducing CO2 emissions
“Shell wants to be CO2 neutral by 2050,” says Henk Zwaak. “Several projects are currently underway that will soon lead to a significant reduction in emissions. One of them is Red2Green. It involves the construction of a biofuel plant at Shell Energy and Chemical Park Rotterdam, the former refinery at Pernis. In this way, Shell will transform more refineries into energy and chemistry parks.”

“New technology will soon be used to process waste – for example frying fat or vegetable oil that would normally be thrown away – into biodiesel or biokerosene. Here in Rotterdam they will soon be able to produce 820,000 tonnes of biofuel a year. This will reduce CO2 emissions in the Netherlands by 2.8 million tonnes.”

That’s like taking 1 million cars off the road, Shell writes in a  press release. “Of course they want and need to become more sustainable, just like everyone else,” says Henk. “And they are putting everything in place to achieve that. This will be one of the largest plants for sustainable jet fuel and renewable diesel in Europe.”

Comprehensive project
“1.5 billion is being invested in Red2Green. You don’t often have such a large project in the Netherlands,” says Henk. “If you want to do something to make the industry more sustainable, this is where you can make a difference.” That is possible via STAR. “We select specialists for Shell and for the engineering contractors involved, such as Worley,” says Henk.

“This project needs so many specialists that Shell has selected a number of partners that offer security of supply,” says Henk. “We are proud to be one of them. There is of course a shortage on the labour market, especially in petrochemicals. Thanks to our network, we can still find the right people.”

How does the cooperation work? “Once in a while we have a meeting with all partners involved. Then we discuss the progress of the project, safety and the supplies for the coming period. Red2Green is now in the civil phase: 6,000 piles have to be driven into the ground. In 2023, the project will be elevated. Then it will be time for the mechanical equipment, then the piping, instrumentation, and so on. In 2024 the plant should be completed.”

At the moment, about 25 specialists are working on Red2Green through STAR. “Next year, when the construction starts to go up, the number of specialists we need will also go up. That’s when we as STAR will be able to demonstrate our distinctive capacity.”

More sustainable world
With Red2Green, Shell is taking a serious step towards sustainability. “Together with their other projects, this is an incredibly good start,” says Henk. “Look at the hydrogen plant being built, the wind farm they are building to power that hydrogen plant, and the Porthos project where they are capturing CO2 from existing plants and storing it safely.”

Henk talks about these projects and their importance for the energy transition with infectious enthusiasm. “Look, I also want to do my bit for a more sustainable world, a good place for my children,” he says. “That’s why these projects are very much needed.”