Source: Energy & Management Powernews, February 16, 2022
In the Dutch North Sea, RWE and Neptune Energy want to realize a pilot project with an electrolyzer capacity of up to 500 MW.
The Essen-based energy group RWE and the Dutch gas producer Neptune Energy want to build a large hydrogen production plant in the North Sea off the Dutch coast. As they list in a jointly signed agreement, they plan to build a pilot plant with an electrolyzer capacity of 300 to 500 MW by 2030. The partners announced this in a joint statement on February 15.
By comparison, the current largest electrolysis plants in Germany have a capacity of around 20 MW, according to RWE. Hydrogen is to play a central role as a basic material for industry and as a fuel for the energy industry on the way to a climate-neutral economy.
The pilot project is under the project name "H2opZee" and is to run in two phases: In the first phase, the partners want to conduct a feasibility study. They specify the second quarter of 2022 as the start. This study is intended to drive hydrogen production at sea in the Netherlands. The project stems from an initiative supported by the Dutch government to bring people, knowledge and funding together to achieve the offshore energy transition. The second phase will focus on implementation. As the partners announce, a tender methodology still needs to be defined for this.
Existing pipeline for onshore transport
A part of the offshore wind farm is to produce hydrogen in the foundation of the turbines. In addition, an electrolyzer on an electrified platform is to produce hydrogen. Onshore, the green hydrogen will be transported via an existing gas pipeline. "The energy transition can happen faster, cheaper and cleaner if we integrate the existing gas infrastructure into new systems," explains Lex de Groot. He is the CEO of gas producer Neptune Energy. The existing infrastructure is technically suitable for this, he says. No new pipeline at sea would be required, and no new landfall in the coastal area would have to take place.
The pipeline has a capacity of 10,000 to 12,000 MW and is thus already suitable for the further expansion of green hydrogen production on a gigawatt scale in the North Sea, the companies emphasized. With the project, they want to show "that offshore wind is the ideal energy source to produce green hydrogen on a large scale." By comparison, the German government wants to ensure that 10,000 MW of generation capacity is installed on German soil by 2030.
H2 Opzee is reportedly one of 37 projects that have qualified for the second round of the Dutch National Growth Fund. Experiences from the project will subsequently be shared with industry. Some 40 "relevant organizations" have already signaled their support, RWE and Neptune Energy say.
More information on the "H2opZee" project can be found here.
Author: Davina Spohnhttps://www.rwe.com/presse/rwe-renewables/2022-02-15-rwe-und-neptune-energy-treiben-wasserstoffproduktion-in-niederlaendischer-nordsee-voran/?