In its capacity of sole shareholder in the private limited company EBN, the Dutch government is joining PosHYdon as a partner. This pilot project focuses on green hydrogen production at a working offshore gas platform.
Testing at InVesta
EBN already has a 40% partnership in the Q13a-A platform, where the pilot is set to take place. PosHYdon is now moving towards the final phase. The setup will first be tested onshore at InVesta in May 2024. The first production of hydrogen on the Neptune Energy-operated platform is planned for the second half of 2024.
EBN is participating in the PosHYdon consortium because of the project’s public significance. Through its participation, EBN guarantees that the project is sufficiently large and that lessons learned will be taken into account in the future.
Electrolysis at sea
Michel Heijdra, Director-General of Climate & Energy at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, says: “We are on the eve of the large-scale development of the North Sea as driver of the energy transition. Offshore electrolysis is set to play an important role in that transition with PosHYdon taking the first steps. That is why the Ministry of Economic Affairs sees this as a crucial project.”
PosHYdon integrates three energy systems in the North Sea: offshore wind, offshore gas and offshore hydrogen, with production taking place on Neptune Energy’s Q13a-A platform. This working platform is the first fully green electrified platform in the Dutch North Sea and is located about 13 kilometres off the coast of Scheveningen.
Adding gas
The green hydrogen will be blended with gas and transported to the coast along an existing gas pipeline. Therefore, the Ministry of Economic Affairs & Climate increased the blending specifications from 0.02% to 0.5% hydrogen. The 1MW electrolyser will follow the wind profile of wind farm Luchterduinen.
