Hydrogen production planned in Dutch North Sea

H2opZee is a demonstration project which aims to build 300-500MW electrolyser capacity in the North Sea to produce green hydrogen using offshore wind. The hydrogen will then be transported to land through an existing pipeline. The pipeline has a capacity of 10-12GW, so is already suitable for the further roll-out of green hydrogen production to gigawatt scale in the North Sea.

The intention is to begin the feasibility study in the second quarter of 2022.

The project is an initiative of TKI Wind op Zee, an initiative supported by the Dutch government.

Neptune Energy’s Managing Director in the Netherlands, Lex de Groot, said: “We see an important role for green hydrogen in future energy supply, and it can be produced here in the North Sea. The energy transition can be faster, cheaper and cleaner if we integrate existing gas infrastructure into new systems.

“This infrastructure is technically suitable, no new pipeline at sea is needed and no new landfall is required through the coastal area. With the PosHYdon pilot we are one of the leaders in this field of offshore energy system integration and reuse. The lessons learned from this project apply to H2opZee.”

The PosHYdon pilot aims to integrate three energy systems in the North Sea: offshore wind, offshore gas and offshore hydrogen by producing hydrogen from seawater on Neptune Energy’s Q13a platform in the Dutch North Sea.

“The faster we can scale up green hydrogen at sea, the faster industries such as chemicals and steel production can become more sustainable,” says de Groot. “With H2opZee, the Netherlands is becoming a world leader in this area. That is why we, together with RWE, are enthusiastic about H2opZee and what it has to offer the Netherlands.”

Sven Utermöhlen, CEO Offshore Wind, RWE Renewables: “Hydrogen is a gamechanger in the decarbonisation of energy-intensive sectors, and H2opZee is among the world’s first projects of this kind and scale. With Neptune Energy at our side, we want to develop the H2opZee project to demonstrate how offshore wind can be an ideal partner for the production of green hydrogen at scale, and to explore the best approaches to system integration. As RWE, we have a 20 years’ track record in offshore wind and have the hydrogen expertise along the entire value chain under one roof. We are convinced that learnings from the H2opZee demonstration project will help in ramping-up the hydrogen economy in the Netherlands, as it presents an important step towards the roll-out of large-scale green hydrogen production offshore.”

The Motorship notes that the Netherlands is considered a particularly suitable location for the development of offshore hydrogen production, as the maturing of existing natural gas fields means that natural gas production from existing North Sea fields is in secular decline, while pipeline infrastructure is in place.