The Anonymous Widower

mtu Engines From Rolls-Royce Provide Emergency Power On Offshore Wind Platforms In The UK

The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Rolls-Royce.

These two bullet points act as sub-headings.

• Four engines from the mtu Series 4000 provide emergency power for two converter platforms
• Norfolk wind farm will generate electricity for demand from more than four million households

This opening paragraph adds more detail.

Rolls-Royce has received a second order from Eureka Pumps AS to supply mtu Series 4000 engines to power emergency power generators for the Norfolk Offshore Wind Farm on the east coast of the United Kingdom. Rolls-Royce will thus supply a total of four mtu engines for the first and second phases of the large wind farm, which is operated by energy supplier RWE. The engines will be installed on two converter platforms at sea and onshore, which are the heart of the offshore grid connection: they ensure that the electricity generated at sea can be fed into the power grid. With a total capacity of 4.2 GW, the wind farm is expected to generate electricity for more than four million households during the course of this decade. It is located 50 to 80 kilometers off the east coast of the UK.

In some ways I find it strange, that a diesel generator is used to provide the necessary emergency power.

But when I asked Google if mtu 4000 generators can operate on hydrogen. I got this answer.

Yes, mtu Series 4000 engines, specifically the gas variants, can be adapted to run on hydrogen fuel. Rolls-Royce has successfully tested a 12-cylinder mtu Series 4000 L64 engine with 100% hydrogen fuel and reported positive results. Furthermore, mtu gas engines are designed to be “H2-ready,” meaning they can be converted to operate with hydrogen, either as a blend or with 100% hydrogen fuel.

That seems very much to be a definite affirmative answer.

So will these mtu Series 4000 engines for the Norfolk wind farms be “H2 ready”? The hydrogen needed,  could be generated on the platform, using some form of electrolyser and some megawatts of electricity from the wind farms.

Will The Norfolk Wind Farms Generate Hydrogen For Germany?

Consider.

• Germany needs to replace Russian gas and their own coal, with a zero-carbon fuel.
• Germany is developing H2ercules to distribute hydrogen to Southern Germany.
• Germany is developing AquaVentus to collect 10 GW of hydrogen from wind-powered offshore electrolysers in the North Sea.
• The AquaVentus web site shows connections in the UK to Humberside and Peterhead, both of which are areas, where large hydrogen electrolysers are bing built.
• In addition Humberside has two of the world’s largest hydrogen stores and is building a 1.8 GW hydrogen-fired powerstation.
• The Norfolk wind farms with a capacity of 4.2 GW, are not far from the border between British and German waters.
• To the North of the Norfolk wind farm, RWE are developing the 3 GW Dogger Bank South wind farm.
• 7.2 GW of British hydrogen would make a large proportion of the hydrogen Germany needs.

I clipped this map from a video about Aquaventus.

Note.

1. The thick white line running North-West/South-East is the spine of AquaVentus, that will deliver hydrogen to Germany.
2. There is a link to Esbjerg in Denmark, that is marked DK.
3. There appears to be an undeveloped link to Norway, which goes North,
4. There appears to be an undeveloped  link to Peterhead in Scotland, that is marked UK.
5. There appears to be a link to just North of the Humber in England, that is marked UK.
6. Just North of the Humber are the two massive gas storage sites of Aldbrough owned by SSE and Brough owned by Centrica.
7. Aldbrough and Rough gas storage sites are being converted into two of the largest hydrogen storage sites in the world!
8. There appear to be small ships sailing up and down the East Coast of the UK. Are these small coastal tankers, that are distributing the hydrogen to where it is needed?

When it is completed, AquaVentus will be a very comprehensive hydrogen network.

It will also be a massive Magic Money Tree for the UK Treasury.

So why is this vast hydrogen system never mentioned?

It was negotiated by Clair Coutinho and Robert Habeck, back in the days, when Boris was Prime Minister.

July 2, 2025 - Posted by AnonW | Energy, Energy Storage, Hydrogen | AquaVentus, Boris Johnson, Claire Coutinho, Denmark, Dogger Bank South Wind Farm, Emergency Power, Germany, H2ercules, Norfolk Wind Farms, Norway, Offshore Hydrogen Production, Robert Habeck, Rolls-Royce mtu, RWE, Wind Power