Dentons advises Novar on the Netherlands largest hydrogen project H2 Hollandia

Amsterdam—Global law firm Dentons has advised Novar, one of the leading developers of large-scale sustainable energy systems in the Netherlands, on the Dutch green hydrogen project H2 Hollandia. The project is a collaboration between Novar and Avitec, a contracting company in the civil engineering and construction sector. Upon completion in 2026, H2 Hollandia will be the largest operational system in the Netherlands producing entirely green hydrogen.

Following the initial investment decision in January 2025, the project reached financial close this week. All contracts have been signed, all financing agreements have been finalized and the building of the hydrogen installation can now begin. The system is based on an electrolyzer that produces hydrogen by using electricity from the nearby Hollandia solar park. As it only uses surplus solar energy, no additional pressure is placed on the electricity grid, leading to a more stable energy supply.

Dentons provided comprehensive legal guidance throughout the period of contract negotiations, including construction, maintenance and hydrogen supply contracts.

Başak Küçük, partner Construction and Projects, commented: “The innovative nature of the project, combined with the broad consortium of engineering, procurement and construction parties involved meant that standard contracts fell short. It took an intense period of collaboration and out-of-the-box thinking to arrive at a series of hybrid contracts that work for everyone. All this was achieved, of course, with the shared goal of delivering a meaningful contribution to the energy transition in the Netherlands.”

Jan Jakob Peelen (Head of the Public Law and Regulatory practice and partner in the Energy group) and Başak Küçük (Partner, Real Estate) led the Dentons team, which further consisted of associates Mees Olthof and Sybren van der Velden.