According to pipeline operator Noordgastransport (NGT), the NOGAT and NGT natural gas pipelines in the North Sea are the first to earn a Certificate of Fitness for the transportation of renewable hydrogen at sea.
The survey was carried out by Bureau Veritas Inspection & Certification, which also awarded the certificate.
The Dutch State Supervision of Mines is in charge of monitoring the pipes, and the license is good until 2062.
The NGT pipeline is suited for the transportation of 100% pure green [renewable] hydrogen, according to Ron Hagen, director of NGT.
Therefore, Hagen added, “the pipelines’ approximate 12–14GW capacity will enable us to move more quickly toward large-scale green [renewable] hydrogen production in the North Sea.”
According to Hans Janssen, director of NOGAT, “we are able to make the shift to green [renewable] hydrogen in the North Sea more quickly by making use of existing infrastructure. This can be green [renewable] hydrogen or a short-term mixture of natural gas and hydrogen, according to the press release.
According to the company, the NOGAT pipeline connects with pipelines from the German and Danish sectors via the A6-F3 pipeline and the Tyra West-F3 pipeline, respectively, and runs for 264 km from the F3-FB platform on the Dutch Continental Shelf to the gas processing plant at Den Ehlder. It has a maximum capacity of 32 mcm/day.
According to Neptune Energy, the NGT pipeline is 470 km long and takes the majority of its gas from the L10-A complex as it travels from the Dutch Continental Shelf to the onshore processing plant at Uithuizen. The pipeline has a maximum capacity of 42 mcm/day.
A number of European nations have identified the North Sea as a possible center for the generation and storage of renewable hydrogen since it offers significant offshore wind potential, salt caverns for hydrogen storage, and existing gas pipeline infrastructure.
