Aquaterra Energy, Seawind Developing European Offshore Wind, Hydrogen Project
An offshore floating wind and green hydrogen project off the coast of Italy is being developed by Aquaterra Energy and Seawind Ocean Technology as production of the renewable clean fuel continues to grow in Europe.
When completed, the project is expected to produce 3.2 gigawatts of renewable energy and be what the companies say is the world’s largest offshore floating wind and hydrogen energy production facility. The project, called HyMed, is expected to be producing renewable energy by 2027.
Once completed, hydrogen will make up more than 1 GW of the site’s capacity. The companies will then transport the green hydrogen onshore to Europe, with an early focus on Italy, by pipeline or vessels.
The development is in its early phases, including grid connection and environmental assessments currently taking place. The project will combine Aquaterra Energy’s offshore engineering and green hydrogen production and Seawind’s floating offshore wind technology.
Deep waters account for nearly 80% of the world’s offshore wind, according to Science Direct. That can be a significant resource to provide the energy for electrolyzers to produce green hydrogen.
Hydrogen is a considerable part of Europe’s renewable energy plan. As part of the European Commission’s Renewable Energy Directive, the EU plans to produce 10 million metric tonnes of renewable hydrogen a year and import the same amount by 2030.
With this increased focus, several large hydrogen production facilities are being built on the continent. Shell is building what it says is the largest production plant in Europe, with a capacity of 66 tonnes of green hydrogen a day. Iberdrola is building a green hydrogen plant in the United Kingdom with an expected capacity of 14,000 metric tonnes per year.
Plug Power is also building a site in Belgium, and FuelCell Energy and TuNur recently partnered to increase production at a North African location with the intent to increase hydrogen imports into Europe.
Aquaterra Energy and Seawind say the HyMed project will also serve as a template for other renewable energy collaborations between them, including a 300-megawatt hydrogen project in Greece.
Source: Environmental Leader
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