© Eneco
Eneco has become partner in the offshore green hydrogen pilot project PosHYdon. The energy company will supply simulated wind data from the 129 MW Luchterduinen wind farm.
The PosHYdon pilot aims to integrate three energy systems in the North Sea: offshore wind, offshore gas and offshore hydrogen.
For this purpose the Q13a platform, operated by Neptune, is used. The platform, located around 13 km off the coast of Scheveningen, is the first fully electrified platform in the Dutch section of the North Sea. It is fed with electricty from the mainland via an existing subsea cable.
The Luchterduinen wind farm is located about 25 km north of the Q13a platform. The data will be used to accurately model the use of electricity generated by the wind farm to power the electrolysis process on the Q13a platform, using sea water. The sea water is demineralized on the platform in order to produce hydrogen.
According to Lex de Groot, Managing Director of Neptune Energy in the Netherlands, the ability to convert energy from wind farms to hydrogen, then transport it via the existing gas infrastructure offers major advantages, particularly for wind farms further offshore. The realistic data from Eneco will deliver better insights for the next stages of the project.
Ruben Dijkstra, Director Offshore Wind for Eneco: “Hydrogen is indispensable in achieving the climate objectives to support sectors such as industry, the built environment and transport in their sustainability. With the possibilities of offshore wind and the enormous potential that the North Sea still offers, hydrogen production in the North Sea is an important element in the energy transition. In addition to the technical aspect of offshore electrolysis, Eneco also has a strong interest in developing green hydrogen certificates and adding hydrogen to the natural gas network. ”
PosHYdon is an initiative of Nexstep, the Dutch association for decommissioning and reuse, and research institute TNO, in close collaboration with the industry. Eneco is the latest partner to join the pilot, following Gasunie, Noordgastransport BV and NOGAT BV. Partners in the Q13a-A platform are: EBN B.V. (40%) and TAQA Offshore B.V. (10%).
