PosHYdon pilot provides practical lessons for future North Sea hydrogen projects

Fifteen public and private partners gained practical experience through the PosHYdon project in producing green hydrogen from seawater using renewable electricity from offshore wind at the Q13a-A platform, around thirteen kilometres off the coast of Scheveningen. Offshore wind energy, seawater desalination, electrolysis and existing offshore infrastructure were tested in a single integrated system. This made PosHYdon the world’s first offshore project to produce and transport hydrogen from an operational production platform. The project also generated valuable knowledge about what is needed to enable the larger-scale deployment of offshore hydrogen in the future.

System integration is essential for offshore hydrogen

‘Many people think the big question is whether we can produce hydrogen offshore. With PosHYdon, we have shown that we can. But the real lesson is that successful offshore hydrogen projects depend on effective system integration. Technology, infrastructure, permitting, safety and market players need to be considered as one integrated whole from day one.

That is precisely why pilots such as PosHYdon are so important. In a clearly defined environment, we can discover what is needed to actually realise new energy systems. This is how we move plans from paper into practice. The lessons and insights we have gained make this pilot particularly valuable,’ says René Peters, Business Director Energy Infrastructure at TNO.

One of the key recommendations in the final report is to appoint a single party with clear overall responsibility for the system in future projects. This party can oversee the interdependencies between all technical, operational and organisational aspects of a project and help prevent risks arising at the interfaces between different organisations and systems. This is an essential principle for the far-reaching integration of energy systems.

Practice is more complex than technology alone

During the project, it became clear that many of the challenges arise at the interfaces between different disciplines and organisations. These involved not only the performance of the electrolyser, but also issues such as operational procedures, permitting processes, regulations, infrastructure and the allocation of responsibilities between the parties involved. PosHYdon explored, among other things, the technical, operational and organisational conditions required to make responsible use of existing infrastructure, such as existing gas pipelines, within future hydrogen systems.

One concrete example was obtaining permission to blend more hydrogen into the existing regional natural gas grid. The permitted concentration had to be increased from 0.02 to 0.5 per cent by volume. To obtain this permission, it had to be demonstrated that the higher hydrogen concentration would have no adverse effects on aspects including the infrastructure, gas quality and measurement systems. Following technical research, risk assessments and consultations with parties including the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy and grid operators, permission was granted.

This experience shows that success depends not only on the technology, but above all on aligning regulations, interests and perceptions of risk at an early stage.

Lessons for the future of the North Sea

Permits, safety assessments and coordination with regulators need to be addressed at an early stage of a project. These important factors also help determine how quickly innovative energy projects can move from concept to practice.

The final report of the PosHYdon project (pdf) brings together technical, operational and regulatory lessons from several years of practical experience. The knowledge gained can be used by industry, governments, infrastructure operators, investors and developers of future offshore energy projects. It therefore provides a knowledge base for the further development of hydrogen production in the North Sea.