Hydrogen refuelling stations in the Netherlands: An intercomparison of quantitative risk assessments used for permitting

As of 2003, 15 hydrogen refuelling stations (HRSs) have been deployed in the Netherlands. To become established, the HRS has to go through a permitting procedure. An important document of the permitting dossier is the quantitative risk assessment (QRA) as it assesses the risks of the HRS associated to people and buildings in the vicinity of the HRS. In the Netherlands, a generic prescribed approach exists on how to perform a QRA, however specific guidelines for HRSs do not exist. An intercomparison among the QRAs of permitted HRSs has revealed significant inconsistencies on various aspects of the QRA: namely the inclusion of HRS sub-systems and components, the HRS sub-system and component considerations as predefined components, the application of failure scenarios, the determination of failure frequencies, the application of input parameters, the consideration of preventive and mitigation measures as well as information provided regarding the HRS surroundings and the societal risk. It is therefore recommended to develop specific QRA guidelines for HRSs.