RWE has secured the necessary construction and environmental permits to build a 100 MW electrolyzer that would enable green hydrogen production as part of system integration plans associated with the 795 MW OranjeWind offshore wind project in the Dutch North Sea.
The 100 MW electrolyzer is planned to be built at Eemshaven, near the Magnum Power Station, in the north part of the Netherlands.
In order to address the challenges presented by matching intermittent electricity production from renewables with flexible demand for energy, a key part of the OranjeWind project is its integration into the Dutch energy system.
The planned 100 MW OranjeWind electrolyser in Eemshaven will make a significant contribution to this.
Recently, TotalEnergies, which is RWE’s partner in the OranjeWind offshore wind project, announced that it would dedicate its share of the renewable electricity production from the wind farm to power 350 MW electrolyser projects to produce green hydrogen for the decarbonization of its refineries in Northern Europe.
With the announcement that RWE has secured the necessary permits which will enable it to develop a 100MW electrolyzer on a plot adjacent to the Magnum Power Station, the company's plans for green hydrogen production in the region have increased, since it is also working on the realization of a 50MW electrolyzer at the nearby Eemshaven Power Plant.
The realisation of the 50MW Eemshydrogen project and the 100MW OranjeWind electrolyzer are subject to final investment decisions.
A key condition for these is the timely availability of the necessary infrastructure, such as the national hydrogen backbone, to transport the green hydrogen to customers.
“Securing the necessary permits brings us a step closer to realizing this electrolyzer in Eemshaven. This would enable RWE to provide industry with green hydrogen to make their production processes more sustainable. With our plans of this electrolyzer at the Eemshaven, RWE continues to contribute to the further growth in the area and helps to establish this cluster as a centre for renewable energy,” said Sopna Sury, COO Hydrogen at RWE Generation SE.