The Anonymous Widower

New North Sea Gas To Flow After Approval For Jackdaw Drilling

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Times.

This is the sub-heading.

The first significant British field in almost a decade could begin production by Christmas. The taxes raised will fund ‘clean power’, the chancellor says

These three paragraphs add more detail.

North Sea gas production will increase within weeks after ministers gave approval on Wednesday for drilling in the first big new field in almost a decade.

Miatta Fahnbulleh, the energy secretary, confirmed that Jackdaw, off Aberdeen, has passed a new environmental assessment and will go into production before Christmas.

The field is the UK’s largest known untapped gas reservoir and could account for 6 per cent of North Sea gas production when fully operational.

I will now ask a couple of questions.

How Will Jackdaw’s Gas Get To The UK Gas Grid?

I asked Google AI this question and received this answer.

Gas extracted from the Jackdaw gas field will reach the UK gas network by utilizing existing North Sea energy infrastructure through a multi-stage pipeline connection:

1. Subsea Pipeline to Shearwater: Gas will first flow from the Jackdaw platform through a newly designed 31km subsea pipeline to the nearby, existing Shearwater hub.

2. Transportation Onshore: From the Shearwater platform, the gas and associated liquids will be tied into major existing offshore transmission systems—specifically the Fulmar Gas Line and the Forties Pipeline System.

3. UK Grid Entry: These pipelines route the resources directly onshore to processing facilities, primarily the St Fergus gas terminal in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, where the gas is processed and fed directly into the Great British National Transmission System (NTS).

The project, operated by Adura (a Shell and Equinor joint venture), has received final government approval and is expected to begin supplying the UK grid as early as late October 2026.

What Is Aquaventus?

I asked Google AI this question and received this answer.

AquaVentus is a major German-led energy initiative aimed at producing green hydrogen at scale from offshore wind energy in the North Sea. Managed by the AquaVentus Förderverein e.V.—which is registered on the island of Helgoland with offices in Berlin—the project brings together a consortium of more than 100 international companies, research institutions, and organizations.

The overarching goal of the initiative is to establish 10 gigawatts (GW) of offshore electrolysis capacity by 2035. This capacity is projected to yield roughly 1 million tonnes of climate-neutral green hydrogen per year, providing a critical clean energy source to decarbonize heavy industries, aviation, and maritime shipping that cannot be easily electrified.

Core Architecture & Flagship Projects

The initiative operates through a synchronized value chain broken down into highly specialized sub-projects:

 AquaPrimus: A practical demonstrator project testing offshore wind turbines integrated directly with hydrogen production units under real-world sea conditions.

AquaSector: A large-scale offshore hydrogen park intended to prove the commercial and operational viability of scaled-up marine electrolysis.

AquaDuctus: The central “hydrogen backbone” pipeline. Instead of converting electricity to send ashore via traditional subsea cables, this pipeline will collect hydrogen directly from the offshore platforms and transport it straight to the German core grid. It was officially integrated into Germany’s hydrogen core network planning in October 2024.

AquaCampus: A European research and testing platform set up in the North Sea to advance marine electrolysis technologies.

AquaPortus & AquaNavis: Infrastructure projects focused on adapting coastal harbours and developing hydrogen-based maritime shipping applications.

Infrastructure and Partnerships

Rather than relying purely on electricity transmission, AquaVentus champions a combined connection concept. This hybrid infrastructure links offshore wind farms using both traditional power cables and hydrogen pipelines. Depending on fluctuating market electricity prices and real-time demand, wind farms can alternate between feeding electricity directly into the grid or generating hydrogen on-site. The initiative has actively lobbied European regulators to fully anchor these hybrid layouts into offshore wind energy legislation.

The consortium includes major global energy and industrial players like RWE, BP, Shell, TotalEnergies, Ørsted, and Siemens Energy. Furthermore, it continues to scale its international footprint, recently partnering with organizations like Hydrogen Scotland to explore connecting North Sea infrastructure directly into broader European energy markets.

Aquaventus will connect to Norway, Denmark, The Netherlands, and Aberdeen and Humberside in the UK to Wilhelmshaven in Germany.

Could Aquaventus Be Supplied with Scottish Hydrogen?

I asked Google AI this question and received this answer.

Yes, AquaVentus can be supplied with Scottish green hydrogen.

Key Details of the Partnership

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU): AquaVentus (a German-led offshore wind-to-hydrogen initiative) and Hydrogen Scotland signed an agreement to link Scottish offshore wind and hydrogen production into the North Sea energy network.

Shared Infrastructure: The collaboration aims to connect Scotland’s offshore wind potential with cross-border transport concepts like the planned AquaDuctus offshore hydrogen pipeline.

Export Goals: The partnership is designed to establish Scotland as a major green hydrogen supplier to European markets such as Germany, integrating Scottish production into a pan-European hydrogen backbone.

Some electrolysis capacity would need to be built.

Could Jackdaw’s Gas Be Used To Create Hydrogen For AquaVentus?

Consider.

• There will be an Aquaventus connection from Aberdeen to Wilhelmshaven via Humberside.
• Jackdaw is connected to the St. Fergus Gas Terminal, which is less than 40 miles from Aberdeen.
• There are now efficient ways of extracting the four hydrogen atoms of each methane molecule from natural gas.
• There is plenty of green electricity at Aberdeen.

I believe that natural gas from Jackdaw could be turned into hydrogen at Aberdeen and sent to Germany via Aquaventus.

One of the best methods to create hydrogen has been developed by HiiROC.

• HiiROC is a spin-out of Hull University.
• HiiROC’s backers include Melrose Industries, HydrogenOne, Centrica, Cemex, Hyundai and Kia, Wintershall Dea and VNG.
• HydrogenOne is backed by INEOS.
• HiiROC uses a fifth of the energy of traditional electrolysis.
• The HiiROC process, which is called thermal plasma electrolysis,  splits any hydrocarbon gas into hydrogen and carbon black.
• Feedstocks can include chemical plant offgas, biomethane and natural gas.
• Carbon black has various uses including manufacturing tyres and rubber products.
• In Hydrogen Milestone: UK’s First Hydrogen-to-Power Trial At Brigg Energy Park, I describe how Centrica and HiiROC have generated electricity at Brigg power station.
• In Cemex To Install World-First Hydrogen Process At UK Cement Plant, I describe how Cemex will use HiiROC to make low-carbon cement at Rugby.

I believe that a large HiiROC electrolyser at Aberdeen could provide enough hydrogen for Aquaventus.

I have some thoughts.

Will Aquaventus Be Using The Albrough And Rough Gas Storage?

I asked Google AI this question and received this answer.

Yes, the broader AquaVentus framework is designed to integrate with British transmission networks and link to underground cavern and reservoir storage assets on Humberside, including the Aldbrough Hydrogen Storage site and Rough Gas Storage.

Key Details

AquaVentus Integration: While the primary focus of offshore German pipelines like AquaDuctus is delivering green hydrogen to Germany, the broader AquaVentus network links into UK transmission systems and regional storage options.

Aldbrough Hydrogen Storage: SSE Thermal and Equinor are developing plans to repurpose and expand the underground salt caverns at the Aldbrough site in East Yorkshire to store low-carbon hydrogen.

Rough Gas Storage: Centrica has explored plans to convert the offshore Rough gas storage field in the North Sea for hydrogen storage as part of the wider regional infrastructure development in the Humber area.

The hydrogen can also be distributed to customers on Humberside.

October 23, 2026 - Posted by AnonW | Artificial Intelligence, Energy, Hydrogen | Aberdeen, Aldbrough Gas Storage, AquaVentus, Brigg Energy Park, Carbon Black, Cemex, Centrica, Chancellor Of The Exchequer, Equinor, Google AI, Green Hydrogen, Hull University, Humberside, HydrogenOne, Hyundai, INEOS, Jackdaw Gas Field, John Healey, Kia, Natural Gas, North Sea Oil And Gas, Rough Gas Storage, SSE Thermal, Turquoise Hydrogen, Wilhelmshaven