The PosHYdon pilot project has produced its first green hydrogen on an operational offshore platform in the Dutch North Sea, marking a key milestone for a project integrating offshore wind power, hydrogen production and natural gas operations.
The project, located on Eni Energy Netherlands' Q13a-A platform about 13 km off the coast of Scheveningen, is designed to demonstrate the production of hydrogen using electricity generated from offshore wind while operating alongside natural gas production.
PosHYdon uses offshore wind power to convert seawater into demineralized water before producing hydrogen through electrolysis. The Q13a-A facility is the first fully electrified production platform in the Dutch sector of the North Sea.
The pilot will initially focus on achieving stable hydrogen production before testing how the electrolyzer responds to fluctuations in electricity supplied by offshore wind. The project will also evaluate the operational performance, maintenance requirements and costs associated with offshore hydrogen production.
The consortium said results from the pilot will be analysed during August and September and shared with the hydrogen industry later this year.
PosHYdon is supported by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy and brings together a consortium including Eni, DEME, EBN, Eneco, Gasunie, Nel, TAQA, TNO and other industry partners.
The project is intended to support the development of integrated offshore energy systems and large-scale offshore hydrogen production in the North Sea.
“This project is an important step in scaling up offshore hydrogen production based on offshore wind energy. The pilot offers the opportunity to gain valuable knowledge and practical experience that are essential for the further development of large-scale offshore hydrogen production. This helps to reduce risks and control costs more effectively,” said Rene Peters, Business Director Energy Infrastructure TNO.
“It is remarkable to see that, together with all these public and private partners, we have been able to achieve a world first through PosHYdon. The reuse of existing offshore platforms for sustainable applications is now becoming a tangible reality. Together, we are taking a meaningful step towards a future offshore energy system in the North Sea,” added Lex de Groot, Managing Director Eni Energy Netherlands & Vice-President Element NL.