Green hydrogen has been produced offshore in the Netherlands for the first time.
Green hydrogen has been produced for the first time on an offshore platform in the Dutch sector of the North Sea as part of the PosHYdon pilot project. The process uses wind energy and desalinated seawater, and the results of the experiment will be presented to the industry in the fall.
Vigor
The operator of the Eni platform in the Dutch sector of the North Sea has produced its first green hydrogen as part of a government pilot project for offshore hydrogen production.
The PosHYdon project involves generating green hydrogen using desalinated seawater, electricity from wind turbines, and a 1-megawatt electrolyzer.
The Q13a-A platform, located 13 kilometers off the coast of Scheveningen and operated by Eni, serves as the project's base. Here, green hydrogen is planned to be blended with natural gas before being transported to shore via an existing pipeline.
The PosHYdon project brings together various companies and investors, including the state-owned gas company Gasunie, the state gas firm EBN, electrolyzer manufacturer Nel, and the research organization TNO.
In 2021, the project received a subsidy of 3.6 million euros (4.1 million dollars) from the Dutch government.
The main results of the pilot project will be analyzed and processed in August and September, with plans to present them to the hydrogen industry in the fall.
The first European offshore hydrogen production pilot—the Sealhyfe installation with a capacity of 1 MW—was implemented by the French company Lhyfe in the Bay of Biscay and operated for six months starting in 2023. Subsequent analysis showed that the installation's productivity was comparable to similar onshore stations.