Energy majors sign up to develop offshore hydrogen park
Illustration of the planned offshore hydrogen park (Source: RWE)
RWE, Equinor, Gasunie and Shell have signed a declaration of intent to collaborate on the development of the AquaSector project, intended to be Germany’s first large-scale offshore hydrogen park.
The partners intend to install about 300 MW of electrolysis capacity to produce up to 20,000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually. This will be transported ashore to Heligoland via the AquaDuctus pipeline. The companies aim to commence operations in 2028.
In a statement, the partners explained that the project is viewed as proof of concept in preparation for the AquaVentus scheme in which up to 10 GW of green hydrogen could be produced offshore by 2035.
Hydrogen produced in this way provides clear economic advantages, they said, with a pipeline the most cost-effective option for transporting large volumes of energy over long distances. The line could replace five high voltage, direct current transmission systems, for example, that would otherwise be needed.
Initially, the partners will undertake a detailed feasibility study to establish the conditions under which a large-scale offshore hydrogen wind park could be set up. They will also assess the technical and commercial challenges relating to offshore hydrogen production.
