FieldLab Industrial Electrification (FLIE) has officially opened its new pilot facility at SubZero in Rotterdam’s M4H district. More than 100 representatives from industry, government, research and the innovation ecosystem attended the opening, which also marked the start of the first pilot projects in the facility.

The new pilot hall gives technology providers, industrial companies, energy companies and research institutions a place to develop, test and validate technologies under real-world conditions. The focus includes industrial electrification, hydrogen and Power-to-X technologies, helping innovations move from technical development towards industrial application.

From research to industrial application

For Auke Ferwerda, FLIE partner on behalf of Platform Zero, the physical test environment is an important step in connecting innovation with industry:

“That is precisely what it’s all about: moving from practice-oriented research to application on an industrial scale.”

Ferwerda highlighted how the new facility gives the South Holland Power-to-X ecosystem a physical place to actually test new ideas.

The role of Rotterdam and its industrial cluster was also central during the opening. A panel discussion moderated by Mare Straetmans, founder of Platform Zero, brought together representatives from government, research and industry. Among them were Marco van Steekelenburg from the Province of South Holland, Mark Stoelinga, Director of Energy at the Port of Rotterdam Authority, and Monalisa Goswami of TNO and VoltaChem. The discussion focused on the challenge of moving technologies beyond demonstration projects and into real industrial use.

Mark Stoelinga stressed that industrial electrification will require extensive testing rather than one single technological answer:

“There is no magic solution. We need to test and validate a great many innovations.”

First projects already underway

The opening also marked the start of the first projects inside the new facility.

FlowVolta will build and validate its modular electrolysis technology, progressing from an initial showcase unit towards a 50 kW pilot and later a 250 kW demonstration model. ZEF will test Direct Air Capture technology for capturing CO₂ from the atmosphere, while Equans will test different operating profiles using an Inocel fuel cell. TNO will install a commercial electrolyser to gain practical experience with hydrogen production, storage and integration into an industrial environment.

For FlowVolta, access to this type of infrastructure is particularly important. CEO Saeid Khalafvand previously described FLIE as:

“exactly what FlowVolta needs”

The company sees the facility as a way to demonstrate its technology physically to investors and industrial partners rather than only presenting the concept on paper.

A new testing ground in Rotterdam

The FLIE facility is located at SubZero in M4H, an area developing into a climate technology hub where startups, scale-ups and industrial partners work on solutions for the port and industry. FLIE uses around 800 m² of the 2,700 m² facility for its own pilot and testing activities.

FLIE is an initiative of TNO, FME, Port of Rotterdam, InnovationQuarter, Platform Zero and Deltalinqs, and is supported by the Province of South Holland. The location connects companies directly with Rotterdam’s industrial infrastructure, logistics network and potential end users.

With the first projects now underway, the new facility gives Rotterdam another place where climate and energy technologies can move from promising ideas towards practical industrial applications.

Read more about FLIE and the new pilot facility.

FLIE: official opening and first pilot projects