Offshore staff
STAVANGER, Norway — Equinor and RWE have agreed to cooperate on low-carbon hydrogen developments.
They aim to replace coal-fired power with hydrogen-ready gas-fired power plants in Germany, at the same time building production of low-carbon and renewable hydrogen in Norway for export to Germany.
The cooperation involves constructing new gas power plants in Germany that the companies will co-own, fueled initially by natural gas and gradually hydrogen. These could eventually run entirely on hydrogen when sufficient volumes and suitable technology become available.
Further new facilities in Norway would produce low-carbon hydrogen from natural gas with carbon capture and storage. According to Equinor, plans call for more than 95% of the CO2 to be captured and stored permanently in the subsurface offshore Norway using existing and proven technologies.
The hydrogen would be delivered through a long-distance hydrogen pipeline to Germany. Then the emerging large-scale renewable hydrogen production from offshore wind projects in Germany and Norway would at first complement and later replace the low-carbon hydrogen.
However, if the infrastructure and projects are to be commercially viable, appropriate regulatory support mechanisms would be needed, Equinor stressed.
01.05.2023
