RWE and Neptune Energy have signed a Joint Development Agreement to develop the H2opZee offshore green hydrogen demonstration in the Dutch North Sea, ahead of 2030.
The project aims at building between 300MW and 500MW of electrolyzer capacity, using offshore wind to produce green hydrogen which is then transported to land through an existing pipeline.
It will consist of two phases, the first of which will see a feasibility study being carried out as well as the setting up of an accessible knowledge platform, RWE said.
In the second phase, the project will actually be implemented and for which a tender methodology has yet to be defined, the developer added.
RWE’s intention is to start the feasibility study in the second quarter of 2022.
The offshore pipeline has a capacity of transporting between 10GW to 12GW, so it is already suitable for the further roll-out of green hydrogen production to gigawatt scale in the North Sea.
H2opZee is an initiative of TKI Wind op Zee, an scheme supported by the Dutch government that brings people, knowledge and financing together to realize the offshore energy transition, the developer added.
RWE offshore wind chief executive officer Sven Utermöhlen said: “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.
“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.”
Neptune Energy Netherlands managing director Lex de Groot said: “We see an important role for green hydrogen in the future energy supply. It can be produced in our own 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.
“The faster we can scale up green hydrogen at sea, the faster industry such as chemicals and steel production can become more sustainable.
“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.”