Interview with Koen Overtoom
Interview with Koen Overtoom, Port of Energy
Together for clean industry
The North Sea Canal area, which includes the IJmond region, is home to numerous industries forming a major economic ecosystem stretching from IJmuiden to Amsterdam. All these industries are currently facing the same urgent question of how to make their businesses cleaner and more sustainable. Making industry future-proof is a complex undertaking. It requires new energy infrastructure, innovation, investment and, above all, collaboration. With this in mind, in July 2025, businesses, public authorities and knowledge institutions in the North Sea Canal region set up Port of Energy, a collaborative platform committed to a future-proof, circular and cleaner industry in the region. TSN was one of the founding partners. We talked to Koen Overtoom, CEO at Port of Amsterdam, also a founding partner.
From your perspective, what role do you see for TSN in the development of a sustainable industry in the North Sea Canal area?
“In any large transition, constructive dialogue is always the basis of success. The Amsterdam Economic Board and Port of Energy are both playing a crucial role in bringing the various industries in the Amsterdam port region together to create this dialogue. We all share the same ambition in that we wish to maintain our industries while transforming to sustainable operations. This is reflected in the Port of Energy's slogan ‘Together for clean industry’.
Tata Steel is by far the biggest industrial player in the region and as such the Green Steel Project will be crucial for the energy transition. The economic added value generated by TSN is enormous. They provide huge numbers of jobs and drive an entire services ecosystem around their own activities. Thanks to its sheer scale, TSN could really serve as an accelerator for the energy transition and innovation in the region and the Netherlands as a whole.”
What are the challenges and opportunities for making industry in the area more sustainable?
“One of the main challenges we’re facing is that a lack of space makes it complex to build the extra infrastructure we need for renewable energy, such as landfall locations for offshore wind energy, high-voltage power stations and batteries, as well as CO2 and hydrogen pipelines. Another challenge is that we need a level playing field. Compared to other European countries, restrictions placed on Dutch industries are significantly more stringent and energy prices are much higher. But we certainly also see opportunities. Companies like Tata Steel have a long, successful history and unequalled knowledge and expertise. If TSN succeeds in transitioning to carbon-neutral steel, all other industries in the region will benefit from this, accelerating the energy transition and creating sustainable earning capacity for the entire ecosystem in the region.”
How would you characterise TSN’s role as a stakeholder in this ecosystem and what could TSN do even better?
“Besides industry, a whole range of parties are active in the region providing critical services, such as terminals, transshipment companies and waterway and railway operators. These systems are highly integrated. As a large player and user of these services, TSN will be an important driving force in realising the necessary changes in infrastructure, distribution and logistics required for the energy transition. In addition, future-proof energy systems will require the integration of large-scale offshore wind with hydrogen production. TSN’s transition will create a flywheel effect for the region, as TSN will need huge amounts of hydrogen. Production and storage could partly be done on site. And of course, to build wind turbines we need steel, ideally sustainably produced steel.
What TSN could do better? I feel they're still rather cautious in expressing their ambitions. If they open up a bit more and explicitly ask partners to help them in their journey to carbon-neutral steel, I’m sure everyone wants to be part of the solution!”
The North Sea Canal area is celebrating its 150th anniversary. What needs to happen to ensure we can also celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2076?
“The most important thing will be that we keep our precious ecosystem intact. That’s why TSN’s survival is crucial. What people often fail to see is that it’s not just about one industry or factory. It’s a carefully built system that makes the region thrive. If you pull out a significant player such as Tata Steel, the entire system would fall apart. And that’s why, through Port of Energy, we’re hoping to create awareness of the tremendous value of industry in our region while working towards a cleaner, greener future.”