Energy / Energy developer signs agreement for hydrogen plant
MORE details have been released about the hydrogen plant proposed at Sullom Voe as part of ambitious plans for offshore wind turbines in the North Sea.
UK industrial facilities operator px Group has signed an agreement to support plans for the hydrogen plant.
It is part of Cerulean Winds’ £10bn proposal to install 200 floating turbines to the west of Shetland and in the central North Sea to decarbonise oil platforms.
Energy from the turbines would also be used to make hydrogen, which could be used as fuel. Three onshore hydrogen sites would be created, including in the North of England and North East Scotland.
Cerulean estimates that more than 1.5GWh of electricity would be diverted to these plants.
Under the agreement px Group would be responsible for lease and ownership arrangements for the sites and for obtaining planning permissions and permits.
The company maintains some of the UK’s largest industrial facilities, including the NSMP St Fergus Gas Terminal near Peterhead.
This new agreement would see px Group operate the hydrogen generation facilities and the associated onshore infrastructure, including the onshore substations and grid connections.
Cerulean reiterated the need for a timely decision on its request to Marine Scotland for seabed leases.
Meanwhile the deadline for developers to apply for the rights to build Scotland’s next generation of offshore wind farms closed at the end of Friday.
Developers were able to apply for a number of sites which have been targeted as sites for offshore turbines, including an area to the east of Shetland.
West of Shetland, which Cerulean is aiming to use, does not feature in the process.
A number of big-hitting energy companies previously confirmed their intention to bid in the ScotWind process, which is overseen by Crown Estate Scotland. This includes Total, Shell/Scottish Power and BP.
The ScotWind auction is seen by many as a key part of moving towards the goal of Scotland becoming ‘net zero’ by 2045.
Crown Estate Scotland’s director of marine Colin Palmer said: “We know that there is significant interest in Scotland’s ability to host major offshore wind projects, and our engagement with the sector throughout the development of ScotWind has been clear evidence of that.
“We’ll now look forward to the next stage in the journey, and beginning the work of assessing applications and, ultimately, awarding agreements that can help move some of these exciting potential projects closer to reality.”
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