Project partners RWE, Shell, Gasunie and Equinor signed recently a declaration of intent to further intensify their collaboration on the AquaSector project - the vision of the first large-scale German offshore hydrogen park. The AquaSector project is a key milestone in the implementation of the German and European hydrogen strategies. (The photos in the article are provided by RWE)
The project aims to demonstrate that in Germany offshore based hydrogen production enables an efficient, cost-effective and sustainable way to produce green hydrogen.
The AquaSector project intends to install approx. 300 megawatt electrolyser capacity in the German North Sea to produce up to 20,000 tons per year of green hydrogen offshore.
The first step in the AquaSector project is to carry out a detailed feasibility study in which the general technical and commercial feasibility of the project will be analysed. Please understand that we cannot give any further details until the feasibility study has been completed.
RWE contributes its broad expertise in renewable energies and hydrogen to the AquaVentus initiative, where RWE is one of the founding members. The initiative aims to use electricity from offshore wind farms to operate electrolysers also installed at sea on an industrial scale. Plans envisage setting up electrolysis units in the North Sea with a total capacity of 10 gigawatts by 2035.
The project family surrounding the AquaVentus initiative includes numerous sub-projects along the value chain from hydrogen production in the North Sea to transport to buyers on shore. These projects, which will dovetail each other, will synchronise demand and production, enabling the required market ramp-up.
RWE is positioned along the entire value chain for green hydrogen: RWE can supply clean electricity for hydrogen production and has the know-how to produce green hydrogen. RWE can store hydrogen in its gas storage facilities, and via its trading business supply the fuel to industrial customers in line with their needs. RWE is already driving forward around 30 projects in the Netherlands, Germany and the UK.
As part of the AquaVentus project family and together with the entire initiative the partners want to contribute towards the decarbonisation of energy supply in Germany and Europe. AquaSector is therefore a key milestone in the implementation of the German and European hydrogen strategies.
Jiro Arihara
Global Commodity Watcher
