Plans for what is claimed to be the world’s first offshore green hydrogen pilot on a working oil platform are moving forward after being granted subsidy from the Dutch Government.

Neptune Energy is hosting the PosHYdon project – which will see the installation of a green hydrogen-producing plant and aims to validate the integration of offshore wind, offshore gas and offshore hydrogen in the Dutch North Sea – on its Q13a-A platform.

The plant will convert seawater into demineralised water, then into green hydrogen via electrolysis, which will be blended with natural gas and transported to shore via an existing pipeline.

The €3.6 million (£3.07m) subsidy has been awarded by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) under its Demonstration Energy and Climate Innovation scheme and marks the formation of the new PosHYdon consortium, comprising of Neptune Energy and partners with expertise in offshore wind, green electricity generation and hydrogen transportation.

Lex de Groot, Neptune Energy’s Managing Director for the Netherlands said: “The Dutch North Sea sector has an exciting future as a ‘new energy hub’ and can play a leading role in large-scale green hydrogen production for north western Europe, given its infrastructure that connects offshore with onshore. The integration of energy systems supports net zero goals in a smart, efficient, and cost-effective manner and without disturbing existing sea ecosystems.

“The extensive infrastructure network is connected to international grids and can easily accommodate wind farms further out at sea by converting the production of green electricity into green hydrogen and transporting it to the grid onshore. PosHYdon will be the key to making this happen and we are excited to consider future opportunities that the pilot can help unlock.”