(Essen/The Hague) – Essen-based RWE Renewables GmbH and Neptune Energy Group Ltd. plan to jointly implement an offshore pilot project by 2030. Under the project name "H2opZee," an electrolyzer capacity of 300 to 500 megawatts (MW) will be built in the Dutch North Sea to produce green hydrogen using wind power. The energy carrier will then be transported to land via a pipeline with a capacity of ten to twelve gigawatts.
Feasibility study begins in the 2nd quarter
First, however, a feasibility study is required, which, according to the company, will begin in the second quarter of 2022. When implementation would begin in a second phase was not mentioned, nor was the amount of investment.
H2opZee is one of 37 projects preselected for the second round of the Dutch National Growth Fund. The consortium partners RWE and Neptune Energy have worked together on the project from the start. Around “40 relevant organizations” have already signaled their support, although no details were given here either.
Advancing the hydrogen economy
Sven Utermöhlen Is convinced “that the findings from the H2opZee pilot project will help advance the hydrogen economy in the Netherlands”. According to the Managing Director of Offshore Wind at RWE Renewables, we also want to research together how system integration can best be achieved.
Lex de Groot, managing director of Neptune Energy in the Netherlands, says there is no need for a new offshore pipeline due to the existing gas infrastructure. There is also no need for new landings in the coastal area.
Experiences with PosHYdon
Neptune Energy's business includes the exploration for and production of oil and gas reserves. The group is already involved in a consortium called “PosHYdon”, which aims to validate the integration of three energy systems in the Dutch North Sea: offshore wind, offshore natural gas and offshore hydrogen. According to a statement from July last year, a PEM electrolyser from the Norwegian company Nel ASA will be installed on the Q13a-A platform operated by Neptune Energy.
The green hydrogen produced using wind power is then mixed with natural gas and transported to land via the existing gas pipeline. Q13a-A is located approximately 13 kilometers off the coast of Scheveningen (The Hague). The Dutch government is supporting this project with 3,6 million euros.
Hydrogen by pipeline to Heligoland
RWE is also already active in other North Sea projects. In August 2021, the company announced plans to produce up to 20.000 tons of green hydrogen per year at sea, together with Shell, Gasunie, and Equinor, as part of the " AquaSector " project. This hydrogen could then be transported to Heligoland via a pipeline called "AquaDuctus" starting in 2028. Furthermore, a project called "AquaVentus" aims to install a 10-gigawatt electrolysis capacity by 2035 and transport the green hydrogen to the German mainland via a pipeline.
Class schedule
RWE and Neptune are developing hydrogen program for the North Sea. © RWE
