North Sea offers opportunities for green hydrogen and CO2 reduction
The North Sea Energy Consortium presented the first results of its research program. Led by, among others, New Energy Coalition research is being conducted into how smart connections between offshore wind and oil and gas activities can accelerate the energy transition with green hydrogen in the North Sea.
Competitive offshore production of green hydrogen
Our colleague, Professor Catrinus Jepma, and his team investigated the possibility of supplying wind energy directly to nearby oil and gas platforms. These platforms then convert the energy into green hydrogen. This helps balance the power grid and saves costs. Because the existing gas network provides the transport, less investment in the power grid is required.
Cost price of green hydrogen in the North Sea is favorable
The report shows that green hydrogen can be produced in the North Sea this way in the foreseeable future at a cost price between €1 and €2,25 per kilo. This brings the price close to that of gray hydrogen. However, to translate these system connections into profitable business cases, coordination between stakeholders and an effective policy framework are required.
Promising opportunities for CO2 emission reduction
Smart connections between offshore gas and wind production offer opportunities to bring the Paris climate goals closer. Calculations show that offshore system connections—such as hydrogen production, CO₂ storage, or electrolyzers in wind turbines—can reduce the cost per avoided ton of CO₂ to approximately €50 to €75.
More about North Sea Energy
The North Sea Energy program was launched in May 2017 to help accelerate the energy transition in the North Sea. This program is supported by Top Sector Energie and has approximately twenty participants from the business community, industry organizations, research institutions, and civil society organizations (NGOs). The program aims to run for several years.
