AER is the largest EU bio-ethanol bio-refinery in Europe. Yearly production of 700 million ethyl alcohol for blending in petrol. Co-products are 490 ktons of GMO-free high protein animal feed and 330 ktons of captured biogenic CO2 that is used in Dutch green houses replacing the use of CO2 from natural gas. The main feedstock is GMO-free animal feed quality corn of EU origin only. AER is one of the most sustainable EU bio-ethanol plants; the bio-ethanol has a CO2 saving compared to petrol of around 95%. AER’s objective is to produce by 2030 at the latest only bio-ethanol with a CO2 saving of at least 100% and to be a facility that is close to operating CO2-neutral. The latter will be achieved by stepping up energy efficiency and replacing as much as possible the use of natural gas by renewable electricity.
AER is part of the Alcogroup (HQ in Brussels) which has operating facilities in 3 continents (EU, Africa and Canada) and is a major trader world-wide in ethyl alcohol for various end-uses: fuel, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and drinks. Total global production of ethyl-alcohol is 1.5 bn litres.
In this excursion, participants will get the chance to visit the Alco Energy plant. Depending on the size of the group, a guided walking tour at the plant by foot or by bus.

alcoenergy.com

Capacity: 20 people

Preliminary Programme:

• 09:00
Departure from The Hague (World Forum)
• 09:45
Travel and arrival at Alco Energy
• 09:45 – 11:15
Visit of Alco Energy
• 12:00
Arrival in The Hague

• Travel time: 45 minutes
• Visit: 45 minutes-1h15 min
• Travel time: 45 minutes

Investa is the expertise centre for gasification technology and sustainable energy carriers such as green gas, hydrogen and biofuels. The centre is a place where entrepreneurs, researchers and governments work together on innovative hydrogen and green gas initiatives. 

DOPS is a start up company developing laboratory-scale reactor at Investa. The reactor converts municipal solid waste, industrial, or agricultural waste into usable raw materials like syngas, carbon, minerals, and metals. DOPS Recycling Technologies aims to bring this technology to market. During your visit, DOPS will introduce their technology, showcasing a wide range of feedstock and product samples, and lead a visit to the pilot plant. DOPS will also introduce the development of a 50 ktpa biomethanol plant based on DCI technology.

Capacity: Max 25 people
en.investa.org
dops-rt.com

At TNO in Petten we will visit the biofuel lab infrastructure. Here we can showcase our developments from gasification to the production of fuels (MeOH, SAF, SNG) to chemicals (BTX, olefins). A second part of the visit in related to the combustion facilities where we can show our research related to the conversion of various feedstocks as replacements of coal, but also how this equipment can be used to do EF gasification research. Last part of the visit is related to the biochar development, which has its applications in soil enhancement, steel and is the future of CDR technology. During the visit there will be information given on how TNO equipment is also utilized for recycling of complex plastic waste streams (MSW, WEEE and wind turbine blades).
TNO will provide safety glasses. No additional protection is needed.

For entering the premises at TNO a valid passport is needed. Other means of identification will not be accepted.

Capacity: Max 25 people
tno.nl/nl

• 09:00
  Departure from The Hague (World Forum)
• 10:30
  Travel and arrival at Investa / DOPS
• 10:30 – 12:30
  Visit of Investa / DOPS
• 12:30– 13:30
  Lunch
• 14:00
  Travel and arrival at TNO Petten
• 14:00 – 15:30
  Visit of TNO Petten
• 17:30
  Arrival in The Hague

• Travel time: 1h30
• Investa/DOPS: 2h
• Travel time: 30 min
• TNO: 1h30
• Travel time: 2h

Argent Energy is a European producer of waste-based biodiesel. Their sustainable, second-generation biodiesel is made from certified end-of-waste products, with production facilities across the UK and the Netherlands. Together, these sites produce approximately 200,000 tonnes of waste-based biofuels each year. These fuels are supplied worldwide and can be used in a wide range of applications, from road and marine transport to rail and heating.

As part of this excursion, Argent Energy will share insights into their sustainability efforts, covering both the technical aspects of biodiesel production and the regulatory landscape. From their office building, you will be able to observe ongoing developments at the site, including the nearly completed new expansion, as well as the port where vessels are docked to be unloaded with waste feedstocks and loaded with biodiesel.

argentenergy.com

Capacity: Max 30 people

ChainCraft is a company based in Amsterdam which produces valuable circular chemicals from organic waste streams. Chaincraft has worked on a disruptive circular innovation, scaling up from laboratory via pilot scale to a commercial demonstration factory, capable of manufacturing up to 2,000 tons of medium-chain fatty acid salts annually.
In this excursion, you can expect to see the following:

1. Tour of the ChainCraft Demo facility
2. A Tour of the laboratory
3. An introduction presentation about ChainCraft

chaincraft.com

Capacity: Max 30 people (3 groups of 10)

Please note that this tour has been cancelled due to not meeting the minimum required participation.
We invite all registered participants to explore our remaining technical tours, which still have availability.

10:00
Departure from The Hague (World Forum)
11:00
Travel and arrival at Argent Energy
11:00 – 13:00
Visit of Argent Energy
13:00 – 14:00
Lunch
14:15
Walk and arrival at Chaincraft (15 minute walking distance)
14:15 – 16:15
Visit of Chaincraft
17:15
Arrival in The Hague

Travel time: 1h
Argent Energy: 2h

Travel time: 15 min
Chaincraft: 2h

Travel time: 1h

Wageningen University and Research is a leading international university and is the only university in the Netherlands to focus on healthy food and living environment. Its mission is to “explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life”. The university’s expertise in biomass and the environment puts it in high demand to produce research for
Dutch government, business and non profits. Projects at Wageningen University vary from seeing innovations in sustainable biomass delivery pathways towards food, chemicals, materials and energy such as finding ways of making renewable plastics from seaweed. In this excursion, you will get the chance to explore the experimental fields of miscanthus, an experimental biorefinery and the World Soil Museum.

Programme:

1. Visit to experimental fields of miscanthus varieties and other fibre crops and explanation of research work (morning)
2. Lunch
3. Visit to Biobased Products Innovation Plant: A facility at WFBR where researchers and industry partners develop processes to convert green raw materials (agricultural/forestry residues) into biobased products, such as plastics, packaging, and construction materials
4. Visit to the World Soil museum with guide (World Soil Museum) (in afternoon from 16.00 onwards)
Return to The Hague at around 17.00 hours

Good walking shoes. The visit will involve a lot of walking

wur.nl/en

Capacity: 30-40 people 

• 09:00
  Departure from The Hague (World Forum)
• 10:30
  Travel and arrival at Wageningen University and Research
• 10:30 – 12:30
  Visit of Experimental fields of miscanthus
• 12:30 – 13:30
  Lunch
• 13:30 – 15:30
  Visit to Biobased Products Innovation Plant
• 15:30 – 17:00
  Visit of World Soil Museum
• 18:30
  Arrival in The Hague

• Travel time: 1h30
• Tour: 5-6 hours
• Travel time: 1h30

The Green Village is an outdoor laboratory on TU Delft Campus with a focus on the built environment where testing can be carried out at district, street and building level. At The Green Village, knowledge and educational institutions, companies, governments and citizens research, experiment, validate and demonstrate their sustainable innovations.
Topics:
1. Sustainable construction and renovation
2. Future energy system
3. Climate adaptive city

thegreenvillage.org

Capacity: Max 100 people

RWE Generation NL is the Dutch subsidiary of RWE Generation SE, headquartered in Essen, Germany. This business unit has its roots in large-scale energy production, which previously relied mainly on fossil fuels such as coal and gas. In recent years, it has begun to gradually replace coal with sustainable biomass, enabling RWE to make an important contribution to achieving the climate targets in the Netherlands. In the coming years, CO2 emissions from the power stations will be further reduced.
Based on production technology, RWE Generation is divided into three divisions that bring together knowledge, expertise, and facilities. The production sites are located in the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Netherlands, and the teams work together internationally.
All gas-fired units in the Netherlands, located in Moerdijk, Maasbracht, Eemshaven, and Geleen, are part of the Gas division, RWE Generation’s largest division. The Biomass division has its two largest power plants in the Netherlands:
in Geertruidenberg and Eemshaven. The Amer power plant in Geertruidenberg has been running entirely on sustainable biomass since early 2025. In Eemshaven, approximately 25% of electricity production is achieved through the use of biomass.
The third division, Hydro & Storage (water & storage), has no production facilities in the Netherlands. It mainly concerns reservoir storage power stations in Germany, but also special products such as mine gas and biogas.

Topics covered during this excursion :

1. RWE in the energy transition;
2. Projects in the Amer energy hub in Geertruidenberg;
3. Global biomass sourcing;
4. RED II/III sustainability requirements.

Lunch will be offered and sponsored by RBCN.
Participants are required to show identification upon arrival.
Without identification, participants will not be admitted.

Special rules apply to excursions, requiring that participants follow the designated routes and be accompanied by designated tour guides. The guide, whether an RWE employee or a temporary guide, must wear the standard PPE as prescribed under the heading “Standard PPE” while accompanying visitors and excursion participants. For safety reasons, visitors must wear clothing that covers their arms and legs. Wearing closed-toe footwear with a flat heel, no higher than 1.5 cm, is mandatory within the designated PPE zones. Every visitor is required to wear the personal protective equipment (green safety helmet and safety goggles) provided to them by RWE.

benelux.rwe.com/en/locations-and-projects/amer-power-plant

Capacity: 75 to 100 people

• 09:00
  Departure from The Hague (World Forum)
• 09:30
  Travel and arrival at The Green Village
• 09:30 – 11:30
  Visit of Green Village
• 12:30
  Travel and arrival at RWE Geertruidenberg
• 12:30 – 13:30
  Lunch at RWE sponsored by RBCN
• 13:30 – 16:30
  Visit of RWE
• 17:30
  Arrival in The Hague

• Travel time: 40 mins
• Green village: 2h
• Travel time: 1h
• RWE: 4h
• Travel time: 1h40

The Steelanol plant is a first of a kind in Europe, with a process that uses a biocatalyst to convert steel mill gases into ethanol. It is the first plant in the world that runs on gas from blast furnaces. The process captures the carbon in the steel mill gases and builds the carbon in into an ethanol molecule. Per ton of ethanol about two tons of CO2 emission is avoided. The carbon recycling technology is like retrofitting a brewery onto an emission source like a steel mill or a landfill site, but instead of using sugars and yeast to make beer, pollution is converted by bacteria to fuels and chemicals. Ancient microbes, or those found in extreme environments such as hydrothermal vents in the deep sea, have been converting carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2) into fuel for billions of years. Researchers took a collection of microbes that were known to do this and began feeding them gases from a steel mill. In that initial screening and discovery stage, they found that an anaerobic bacterium called Clostridium autoethanogenum possessed an ancient pathway that could ferment both CO and CO2, effectively converting it into ethanol under the right conditions. The ethanol product (@Carbalyst) can be used as base component in the chemical industry, for fuel, as basis for cosmetics, clothing, paint etc.
Companies with sustainable products using this type of recycled carbon are Zara, H&M, Adidas, Mebille, On, Gucci, L’Oreal, Unilever, …The Steelanol plant was successfully constructed, commissioned and started in 2023 to convert blast furnace gas to ethanol. It is the first and only large carbon capture and utilization commercial plant using steel process gases in Europe. The Steelanol plant is the flag ship project within the ArcelorMittal Smart Carbon route for decarbonisation. Steelanol is the first of a kind application in the steel industry of this innovative gas fermentation technology in Europe, and the only plant using Blast Furnace gas.

Programme:

• 1 hour – Technical presentation in a projection room.
• 1 hour – Guided walk at two locations on site for knowledge sharing.
• 1 hour – Additional walkthrough of the steel plant to gain a general impression of steel production, including a short stop near the rolling mill.

High-visibility safety vests will be provided and safety instructions are mandatory.
Participants must be 16 years or older.
No fear of heights (up to approximately 5 meters).
Comfortable shoes are required; the visit includes walking along the rolling mill and requires normal physical fitness.

corporate.arcelormittal.com

Capacity: A full bus (30-40 people)

• 09:00 Departure from The Hague (World Forum)
• 11:00 Travel and arrival at Arcelor Mittal steel plant
• 11:00 – 14:00 Visit of Arcelor Mittal steel plant
  • 11:00 – 12:00: Technical presentation in a projection room.  
  • 12:00 – 13:00 Lunch + take PPE
  • 13:00 – 15:00 Guided walk at two locations on site for knowledge sharing  +  additional walkthrough of the steel plant to gain a general impression
• 17:00 Arrival in The Hague (World Forum)

• Travel time: 2h
• Visit: 3h
• Travel time: 2h