Petrogas Transportation and Gasunie will jointly investigate the potential repurposing of a gas pipeline in the Dutch North Sea for transporting green hydrogen.
The work forms part of the offshore hydrogen demonstration project Demo 1 initiated by the Netherlands’ Ministry of Climate Policy and Green Growth.
This involves construction of a 20-MW to 50-MW electrolysis plant capable of producing green hydrogen in the North Sea and the landfall in the North Sea Canal Area.
According to Gasunie, locally generated offshore wind energy would be converted into hydrogen on site, then brought ashore through offshore pipelines.
Hydrogen at sea, Gasunie adds, means that less space has to be set aside for cables and electrolysers on land. Transport of hydrogen is also said to be cost-efficient, helping to reduce the overall cost of energy infrastructure.
And hydrogen can be imported from other North Sea countries through repurposed North Sea pipelines.
Gasunie’s work examining how North Sea gas infrastructure can be reused extends to legal frameworks, economic feasibility and the impacts on the environment.
Petrogas is studying various options for converting its offshore pipeline for green hydrogen transport.
Offshore hydrogen challenges and opportunities
There is a growing interest in hydrogen as an alternative fuel, especially within the offshore industry. The Energy Transitions Committee predicts that hydrogen demand will increase by 7-9% per year toward 2050.
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