Aquaterra Energy, a global leader in offshore engineering solutions, has formed a cooperation with Lhyfe, a renewable hydrogen producer and supplier, and Borr Drilling, an offshore drilling contractor, to develop a unique idea for green hydrogen production off the coast of the North Sea.
Through the deployment of an electrolyser system aboard a converted jack-up rig, the organizations behind Project Haldane will create an industrial scale offshore green hydrogen production idea.
Winds that are reliable far out in the North Sea are an amazing renewable resource, but their remote locations pose issues in terms of grid connectivity and supply intermittency. This one-of-a-kind, adaptable solution will address this issue by offering a market for the electricity generated in the local vicinity of the windfarm, using existing platforms, pipelines, terminal infrastructure, and offshore equipment to cut costs.
With governments promoting net zero initiatives, this proposal presents an alternate deployment of existing assets that simultaneously provides a supply of green hydrogen and improves the commercial viability of remote offshore wind projects.
Borr Drilling will use its core competencies to analyze the adoption of this alternative energy source in an environment with a large untapped potential, thanks to our expertise in complex offshore operations and fleet management. While we will continue to operate in our conventional drilling market, this initiative furthers our goal of improving the sustainability of our operations and aligning our service offering with evolving customer and stakeholder expectations.” Borr Drilling’s Director of Operations, Darren Sutherland, states
“Lhyfe is already creating renewable hydrogen in industrial proportions onshore, with a direct connection to renewable energy, by pumping and purifying sea water to feed the electrolysis process. As a result, this is a production method that takes into account the extreme conditions found offshore. We’ve also been working on various projects to move our production process offshore over the previous few years. Because of the cost effectiveness that may be reached through scalability and technological innovation, offshore wind has the greatest potential for sustainable hydrogen production. Lhyfe intends to be at the vanguard of this shift by building a world-first green hydrogen production of this kind,” says Matthieu Guesné, CEO of Lhyfe.
“With years of experience delivering difficult offshore jack up operations, complex structural projects, and offshore process systems, we are excited to provide the link that connects Lhyfe’s interest in offshore markets with Borr Drilling’s expertise in jack-up rig technology. The fact that we are multilingual in terms of the technical and operating needs of oil and gas assets, as well as green energy processing systems, gives us a distinct advantage. Aquaterra Energy’s Managing Director, James Larnder, adds, “We’re looking forward to getting this from concept to reality.”
While the concept is still in its infancy, the consortium welcomes inquiries from anyone who is interested.
