16 April 2026

Gemmeke Groot: “In my work, I’m always looking for ways to apply my knowledge and experience to the energy transition”

Gemmeke Groot joined Porthos as project director in February this year. Prior to that, she held management positions in operational, project and engineering environments at Shell, both in the Netherlands and abroad. For instance, she was previously involved in a CCS project in America. She has used her initial period to get to know the project well and to gain a thorough understanding of the planning.

What attracted you to the Porthos project?
“In my work, I have always sought ways to apply my knowledge and experience to the energy transition. My role at Porthos fits in well with this. I think it’s fantastic that I can now dedicate myself to bringing this special project to a successful conclusion.”

This week you announced that the start of the project is being postponed to the second half of 2027. What is the reason for this change to the schedule?
“There isn’t really a single main cause. It’s more the interplay of the various components of this project, which in practice are taking more time than had been factored into the ambitious earlier schedule. In fact, the first ground-breaking didn’t take place until 2024, with the first drilling beneath the sea defences. Work has progressed very rapidly over the past two years. The fact that the pipeline, the wells and most of the connections have already been completed, and that the buildings on the compressor station site are already so far advanced, is, in my view, a tremendous achievement. And if we can actually get started in 2027, we will have completed this project very quickly.”

You did have to tell all your colleagues that a 2026 start was not on the cards. Was that a difficult message to deliver?
“Of course it’s difficult! But I think that for a first-of-a-kind project like Porthos, a realistic schedule is crucial, and we need to be open about that. We now don’t expect to be able to start before the second half of 2027, which means that for some people, they’ll be involved in the project for longer than they might have thought. We’re currently working on the detailed planning, which should provide more clarity by the summer.”

How do you maintain the momentum?
“Look, every year we’re not operational, 2.5 million tonnes of CO₂ are released into the atmosphere, so we want to get started as soon as possible. Everyone here is convinced of that urgency. I also notice that people are really keen to roll up their sleeves and get to work on this new schedule.”

The revision of the schedule kept you busy in the early stages, but what else stands out to you at Porthos?
“It’s a unique project in which the expertise of the parent companies EBN, Gasunie and the Port of Rotterdam Authority, as well as that of the clients, is being utilised to achieve the best possible outcome. I think it’s fantastic to see that this project, which has had such a long lead-up, is now clearly taking shape with the input of all the professionals involved. I look forward to working with these people in the coming period to guide the project towards commissioning in a responsible, safe and successful manner.”