The head of German offshore wind initiative AquaVentus has said the imminent start of the auction for the North Sea region SEN-1 is a central prerequisite for the ramp-up of the green hydrogen market.
The zone has been set aside by the German specifically for the generation of green hydrogen.
Chairman of the AquaVentus initiative Jörg Singer said: “For the production of green hydrogen in the North Sea, we need suitable areas and a highly suitable auction design.
“With the tender for the SEN-1 area, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action now has a unique opportunity to ensure both and to ensure innovation and security of supply.”
Singer called for the tender to be designed in such a way that an efficient and economically sustainable production of green hydrogen at sea is made possible.
This requires auction criteria that ensure a high probability of realisation of the projects on the SEN-1 sites.
This is the only way to make Germany’s contribution within a European-networked hydrogen economy, AquaVentus argued.
The developer has a number of sub-projects for the expansion of hydrogen production in the North Sea that have now become concrete.
These include AquaPrimus as a demonstrator and AquaCampus, a research area in Europe, as well as the AquaDuctus hydrogen pipeline.
However, to implement it is crucial to obtain clarity about the legal framework and potential funding opportunities in a timely manner, according to Singer.
By 2035, AquaVentus aims to generate 10GW of capacity from green hydrogen in the North Sea.