EDP, TechnipFMC and other research partners are joining forces to develop a conceptual engineering and economic feasibility study for green hydrogen production from offshore wind power.
The BEHYOND project’s study will include innovative integration of equipment for the production and conditioning of green hydrogen and infrastructure that allows for its transportation to land.
The goal is to create a unique concept that can be standardised and implemented worldwide, allowing for large-scale hydrogen production, the partners said.
As well as EDP and TechnipFMC the BEHYOND project consortium also comprises the Center for Engineering and Development (CEiiA), WavEC Offshore Renewables and the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN).
The joint development will allow the consortium partners to position themselves in the hydrogen value chain, developing new business models and creating engineering solutions, new products and services for the hydrogen sector, globally.
This consortium will strengthen cooperation between Portugal and Norway and “increase Portugal’s competitiveness” in the growth of the “blue economy.”
The BEHYOND project was selected for support by the Blue Growth Programme of the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism (EEA Grants).
EDP, through the participation of EDP NEW and EDP Inovacao, is the project coordinator and the entity responsible for the implementation of several phases, namely the strategic evaluation of the offshore wind-to-hydrogen market, the definition of viable business cases and the technology roadmap to reach commercial maturity.
EDP will use its expertise in the development of offshore wind and in the implementation of “innovative and complex projects”, such as WindFloat.
TechnipFMC brings its experience in subsea engineering, expertise developed in its Deep Purple green hydrogen project, plus system integration abilities.
CEiiA has extended its experience of developing complex structures for sectors, including aerospace, into the marine environment, and has competencies in systems, electronics, and connectivity.
WavEC Offshore Renewables is a consultancy encompassing all marine renewable technologies, and a reference institution in the field in Europe.
USN is applying systems engineering techniques to gain early understanding of the needs of the overall systems, reducing risks in the latter phases.
EDP executive board member Ana Paula Marques said: “The BEHYOND project will allow EDP to acquire the required know-how to enter new markets with clear synergies with our core activities.
“Green hydrogen produced from renewables is likely to become a key lever in the world’s decarbonisation effort while mitigating the variability of offshore renewables and enhancing energy system’s flexibility.
“But we need to act now, in collaboration with the best technology and R&D partners, to address all the main technical and business challenges.
“For this reason, we are very enthusiastic to partner with TechnipFMC, a leader in the offshore sector with a growing sustainability vision and demonstrated engineering expertise.”