DNV sees potential in making hydrogen from North Sea wind

There is potential to produce 300 TWh of hydrogen a year from offshore wind power in the North Sea by 2050, risk and assurance group DNV said today.

This would provide a substantial part of the EU’s expected demand for climate-neutral hydrogen of 2,000 TWh by the same year and help to reduce energy imports.

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Importantly, according to DNV’s study, offshore hydrogen production connected by pipeline is cheaper than onshore hydrogen production. For areas located over 100 km from the coastline, it costs more per energy unit to transmit electricity to the shore than to carry hydrogen via pipeline, the firm explains.

Overall, the study demonstrates the advantages of an offshore hydrogen backbone in the North and Baltic Seas. It was commissioned by German gas pipeline operator Gascade and Belgium-based energy infrastructure group Fluxys, and strengthened the case for their AquaDuctus project.

“The AquaDuctus offshore pipeline, thought as a regulated open access infrastructure available to all future operators of hydrogen wind farms, will make a substantial contribution to security of supply by diversifying Europe's hydrogen supply sources,” said Fluxys chief executive Pascal De Buck.

Initial calculations have shown that hydrogen system costs for the North Sea of EUR 4.69 (USD 4.97) to EUR 4.97 per kg are achievable with a EUR 35 billion-52 billion investment in offshore hydrogen transport infrastructure, including underground storage.

(EUR 1 = USD 1.060)