Eight more companies have joined the AquaVentus project which aims at developing a 10GW wind-to-hydrogen project in Germany. These firms include the oil and gas production company Neptune Energy, Saipem, Ramboll and Heerema Marine Contractors
A visualisation of AquaVentus’ initiative to build a 10GW wind-to-hydrogen plant on Heligoland, a German island. Credit: AquaVentus website
Eight more companies have joined the AquaVentus project which aims at developing a 10GW wind-to-hydrogen project in Germany. These firms include the oil and gas production company Neptune Energy, Saipem, Ramboll and Heerema Marine Contractors. The membership network of AquaVentus has now grown to 79 companies including several big names from the offshore energy industry which have joined since the beginning of this year.
Earlier this year, offshore wind developers Ørsted, Equinor, WindMW and the offshore construction company Boskalis got on board the massive offshore wind-to-hydrogen development, followed by new members from outside of Europe, including the Japanese utility J-Power and the Japanese-Swiss joint venture Hitachi ABB Power and the US offshore engineering and construction services player McDermott.
The AquaVentus project revolves around green hydrogen production powered by 10 GW of offshore wind from the North Sea, and comprises numerous sub-projects along the value chain from the offshore production of hydrogen to transport to customers on the mainland.
The projects include the development of offshore wind farms with integrated hydrogen generation (AquaPrimus), a large-scale offshore hydrogen park (AquaSector), a central supply pipeline (AquaDuctus), port infrastructures (AquaPortus), a research platform (AquaCampus) and hydrogen-based maritime applications (AquaNavis).
Under the first sub-project, AquaPrimus, the consortium plans to install two 14 MW wind turbines, each with an electrolyser plant on its foundation platform. The wind turbines would be installed off the coast of Heligoland by 2025.
In April, project partners Shell, RWE, GASCADE and Gasunie signed a declaration of intent to further intensify their collaboration on AquaDuctus, with a feasibility study planned as the next step for the project.
The AquaDuctus pipeline will transport green hydrogen from the German North Sea directly to the continent. Once the construction of the generation plants is fully completed, AquaDuctus would transport up to one million tonnes of hydrogen annually from 2035 onwards.
More about hydrogen infrastructure: Hydrogen Fueling Stations & Infrastructure