Technical feasibility study awards for H2opZee

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The possibilities of green hydrogen are currently being researched all over the world. This is also the case in the Netherlands. The Dutch project H2opZee aims to build 300 to 500MW electrolyser capacity far out in the North Sea in order to produce green hydrogen, powered by a dedicated o shore wind park. The hydrogen will then be transported to land via pipeline. The pipeline has a capacity of 10 to 12GW and is already suitable for the further roll-out of green hydrogen production to gigawatt scale in the North Sea.

Recently, the H2opZee consortium comprising RWE and Neptune Energy announced a series of technical feasibility study contract awards to wind turbine manufacturer Siemens Gamesa, and engineering contractors H2SEA and Enersea. The technical feasibility studies support the concept engineering work as part of the o shore green hydrogen project’s feasibility phase. The consortium aims to develop the project in the North Sea before 2030. The H2opZee project was announced in February this year and the consortium continues to progress its development plans.

The project is an initiative of TKI Wind op Zee that, supported by the Dutch government, brings people, knowledge and financing together to realise the o shore energy transition in the North Sea. The project is the first of its kind and scale. The project builds upon the AquaVentus and PosHYdon pilots, leveraging key learnings to help de-risk large scale roll-out of o shore green Hydrogen generation.

A joint feasibility study began in June 2022, which is planned to run until the beginning of summer 2023. The study forms part of the first phase of H2opZee in which various technical concepts and potential development locations are

being evaluated to assess the optimal solution to generate green hydrogen o shore. Transportation to shore of this green hydrogen will be via pipeline. In the second phase, the project will be implemented. For that phase, a tender methodology has yet to be defined.

The work scopes that have been announced include o shore platform concept design and engineering, awarded to H2SEA, pipeline concept design awarded to Enersea, and wind turbine generator systems concept work awarded to Siemens Gamesa. The remainder of the technical work will be >>

Hydrogen procurement by the industry Natural gas extraction

on electrified platform

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Hydrogen procurement by the industry

Demonstration: 300-500 MW wind farm Large-scale implementation 10-12 GW

Lex de Groot – Managing Director of Neptune Energy Netherlands.

supported by in-house engineering by RWE and Neptune Energy. The consortium is also working closely with o shore infrastructure owners to evaluate various export options via the existing pipeline network to shore. Thenew contracts are e ective as of August 2022.

Neptune Energy’s Managing Director in the Netherlands, Lex de Groot, says, “Following the very successful roll-out of wind farms producing green electricity in the Dutch North Sea, o shore green hydrogen is the next step in the energy transition and crucial for our domestic future energy supply. It can be produced right here in the North Sea, giving the Netherlands a leading role in providing green energy to Northwestern Europe, reducing the need for imports. By reusing existing gas infrastructure, the energy transition can be faster, cheaper, and cleaner. This infrastructure is technically suitable and already in place, including landing and possible international connections with other countries, such as Norway, Denmark, Germany and the UK. Lessons learned through Neptune’s support for the PosHYdon o shore hydrogen pilot will be applied to H2opZee. The faster we can scale up green hydrogen at sea, the faster industries such as chemical 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 excited about H2opZee and what it has to o er the Netherlands.”

Sven Utermöhlen, CEO O shore Wind at RWE Renewables, adds, “It’s good that we are taking the next step with the H2opZee consortium to advance the project. Large-scale production of green hydrogen based on o shore wind is a key solution to decarbonising the industry. A demonstration project such as H2opZee helps us to better understand how this could be put into practice. Thanks to our cooperation with partners such as Neptune Energy, Siemens Gamesa, H2SEA, and Enersea, we are getting closer to achieving the Dutch climate goals.”