Three companies are working on a project to convert existing jack-up drilling rigs into offshore green hydrogen production units in the North Sea.
Offshore engineering firm Aquaterra Energy, renewable hydrogen producer Lhyfe and offshore drilling contractor Borr Drilling have partnered up in the project called Project Haldane.
The project envisions the development of an industrial-scale offshore green hydrogen production concept, through the deployment of an electrolyzer system on a converted jack-up rig.
"Reliable winds far out in the North Sea are an exceptional renewable resource, yet remote locations create challenges around grid connectivity and intermittency of supply. This unique, flexible solution will solve this issue by providing an off take for the electricity produced in the immediate vicinity of the windfarm and aims to use existing platforms, pipelines, terminal infrastructure, and offshore equipment leveraging the existing infrastructure to reduce costs," the companies said in a statement on Tuesday.
According to the partners, the concept offers an alternative deployment of existing assets that provides both a source of green hydrogen and enhances the commercial feasibility of remote offshore wind projects.
Darren Sutherland, Director of Operations at Borr Drilling said:"With our expertise in complex offshore operations and fleet management, Borr Drilling will leverage its core capabilities to evaluate the adoption of this alternative energy source in an environment with a large untapped potential. While we will continue to work in our traditional drilling market, this project reinforces our ambition to continuously improve the sustainability of our activities and align our service offering with the changing expectations of our customers and stakeholders.”
