The Netherlands – The Dutch government may open up bidding as early as next year for the construction of a 500 MW offshore hydrogen electrolyser that runs purely on nearby offshore wind turbines.
Formerly intended for an offshore wind farm, Ten Noorden van de Waddeneilanden will currently only be utilized to generate green hydrogen utilizing offshore wind. One of the areas the Dutch government selected for new offshore wind farms last year is Ten noorden van de Waddeneilanden. These farms might have nine different locations with a combined capacity of up to 13.4 GW.
Because a wind farm there was already planned to generate electricity, a nearby natural gas pipeline could be used to transport green hydrogen to land, and it can be properly connected to the onshore hydrogen network, the government declared that the region off the coast of Groningen province would be used for large-scale offshore hydrogen production.
It is believed that the project, which is expected to go into operation in 2031, will be the first significant application of offshore hydrogen generation.
Consultations
Before releasing any tenders, the Ministry for Climate and Energy Policy will first hold consultations with the local community of Groningen, Wadden Sea stakeholders, and other interested parties on matters like the landfall of the pipeline that will transport hydrogen from the offshore wind farm to shore and environmental aspects of the project.
Ten noorden van de Waddeneilanden, a green hydrogen project, will be the first to link up with Gasunie’s offshore hydrogen transport network, which is planned to be built in order to bring substantial quantities of hydrogen ashore and connect to the onshore hydrogen network.
Pilot project
As a first step toward the 500 MW offshore green hydrogen project, the Dutch government will develop a smaller pilot project with an electrolysis capacity of between 50 MW and 100 MW. In order to effectively finish the major project, the pilot’s goal is to assess and enhance the technology.
The Netherlands aspires to be one of Europe’s leading green hydrogen hubs due to its extensive gas network and well-developed import infrastructure. The government aims to reach a 4 GW electrolysis capacity by 2030.
