UK And Germany Will Face Threats Together, Says Burnham In Berlin
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
The UK and Germany will face threats together, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said as he reaffirmed a series of defence and security partnerships
These two paragraphs add some more detail.
On his first official European trip, apart from visits to Ukraine, Burnham met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and was greeted with military honours in Berlin.
Speaking to reporters at the German capital’s Federal Chancellery, the prime minister said both countries were facing hybrid attacks “on a regular basis” and “it makes sense” to take them on together.
I am surprised that the article doesn’t mention energy, as it is a problem for both Germany and the UK.
Germany’s problems include.
- They are short of both electricity and gas.
- They produce about a fifth of their electricity from coal.
- They have weaned themselves off Russian gas and nuclear power.
- They have poor electricity storage.
Their strengths include.
- Siemens is the second-largest European wind turbine manufacturer.
- 29 wind farms in the UK, have been built around Siemens wind turbines.
- RWE is a major German developer of wind farms.
- RWE is the largest generator of electricity in the UK.
- RWE own or part-own thirteen wind farms in the UK.
Germany also has good plans to solve their problems.
- AquaVentus is a series of pipes and wires to bring green electricity and hydrogen from Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Aberdeen and Humberside in the UK. to Wilhelmshaven in North-West Germany.
- H2ercules is a plan to deliver hydrogen around Germany to power industry.
In New Study Shows How North Sea Offshore Wind Can Yield More While Costing Less, I found this “It appears from the text in this must read report, that the Germans might develop as much as 20 GW in neighbouring countries.”
The UK’s problems include.
- High electricity and gas prices.
- Not enough electricity storage.
- Poor connections to the grid.
Our strengths include.
- A large amount of solar and wind power is being developed.
- We will generate more electricity than we need.
- Geographically, we generate more electricity on the East side of the UK, so our electrons are ideally placed in invade Germany.
- We shall be able to send electricity and hydrogen to Germany using the AquaVentus system.
- We are developing at least three 2 GW/30 Gwh pumped storage systems in Scotland to store electricity and back up AquaVentus.
- Rough and Aldbrough are gas storage reservoirs on Humberside, that could be converted to store hydrogen, so we could keep Germany supplied.
- HiiROC is affordable hydrogen production technology being developed in Hull, which is five times more efficient, than traditional methods.
Centrica is backing HiiROC and is developing a stable of British ideas.
I believe that there are joint actions that the UK and Germany can take to both their own advantages.
Find A Way To Keep Rough Operational
If we keep Rough operational, then.
- It can usefully act as hydrogen storage for the Germans, with a connection to AquaVentus.
- We can also use it as a store for hydrogen created from excess energy, when we have too much.
- It can also supply hydrogen to companies like INEOS on Humberside.
- Hydrogen could also be exported from the Port of Hull in small coastal liquid hydrogen tankers.
- Companies that need a lot of zero-carbon energy could move to Humberside.
I suspect John Healey will make an announcement in the 2026 Budget.
AquaVentus And Energy Storage
AquaVentus, the pumped storage hydro in Scotland and the hydrogen storage on Humberside should make a big difference to the cost of UK energy, as instead of paying wind farm operators to turn off their wind farms, the excess electricity be handled in one of these ways.
- It can be sent to Germany using AquaVentus as electricity.
- Electricity can be stored in the pumped storage hydro in the Highlands.
- It can be used to create hydrogen which can be stored in Rough and Aldbrough.
- Hydrogen can be sent to Germany using Aquaventus.
- Electricity waste is minimised, which saves the UK money.
- Germany gets a more reliable supply of hydrogen.
The UK should get a cash flow from Germany for the energy, that is delivered.
AquaVentus Could Be Combined With National Grid’s Eastern Green Links Project
Consider.
- AquaVentus will bring energy from Aberdeen and Humberside to Wilhelmshaven.
- National Grid are building five Eastern Green Links along the East Coast of the UK to move electricity to where it is needed.
- EGL1 will link Murton, Co Durham and Torness.
- EGL2 will link Drax and Peterhead.
- EGL3 will link Anderby Creek and Peterhead.
- EGL4 will link Anderby Creek and Westfield, Fife.
- EGL5 will link Lincolnshire and Scotland.
- The first four have a capacity of 2 GW, with the capacity of the fifth link still to be determined.The Eastern Green Links have a Wikipedia entry.
This Google Map shows the location of Wilhelmshaven with respect to the UK.
Wilhelmshaven is marked by the red arrow.
- It looks to me, that between Lincolnshire and Scotland AquaVentus and EGL1-5 will be following a similar route up the East Coast of the UK, which would surely make construction easier, faster and less costly.
- Provision could easily be made to provide a link to the Sizewell nuclear site, which has a total capacity of 4.4 GW.
- NeuConnect is a 1.4 GW interconnector between the Isle of Grain and Wilhelmshaven, that is under construction and will be 725 kilometres long.
- On the Isle of Grain is the 1.32 GW gas-fired power station, that is owned by RWE.
- BritNed is a 1 GW interconnector between the Isle of Grain and Rotterdam.
- Nemo Link is a 1 GW interconnector between Kent and Zeebrugge.
- LionLink is a proposed 1.8GW HVDC electrical interconnector to link offshore wind farms in the North Sea to the electrical grids in both Great Britain and the Netherlands.
- In National Grid, TenneT Germany Launch GriffinLink, A First Of A Find Project To Maximise Offshore Wind, I talk about GriffinLink, which will run between the UK and Germany.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see a tidying-up of the electrical connections between England, Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany.
Jim Ratcliffe Mothballs UK Plants Over ‘Ridiculously High Gas Price’
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Times.
These three paragraphs give more details.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos is mothballing three chemical plants in Hull in response to Britain’s “ridiculously high gas price”.
The plants directly employ 245 people producing acetyls, which are used as raw materials for everything from pharmaceuticals to food and military explosives. Ineos said the sites support almost 4,000 jobs in the wider supply chain across Humberside.
Ineos’s Hull acetyls plants “just cannot compete” as gas prices are now 12 times higher in Britain than in the United States, Ratcliffe said. The plants use gas as a feedstock and also burn hydrogen derived from gas as an energy source to power chemical production.
I don’t think, that this story, is as simple as it seems.
Consider.
- Sir Jim Ratcliffe graduated from the University of Birmingham in 1974 with a degree in chemical engineering.
- The plants in Hull make acetyls.
- The acetyl group has a Wikipedia entry.
- From my own experience, the 1970s was an exciting time for chemical engineering.
- ICI were trying to use a process purchased from BASF to make acetylene, which failed miserably, as all the process did was coat Runcorn in soot.
- Did ICI use the acetylene to make acetyls?
- Google AI says you can make acetyl-containing compounds, such as acetic acid and vinyl acetate, starting from acetylene.
- For a time, I shared an office, with a fellow Liverpool University graduate, who was helping to get the ICI plant working.
In the end the ICI plant was dismantled.
Has Sir Jim Ratcliffe A Connection To HiiROC?
I asked Google AI this question and received this reply.
Yes, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has an indirect financial and strategic connection to HiiROC through his petrochemical company, INEOS.
The INEOS Connection: INEOS backed HydrogenOne Capital Growth—a hydrogen-focused investment fund—which made a £10 million equity investment in HiiROC to develop affordable “turquoise hydrogen” (clean hydrogen produced via thermal plasma electrolysis).
Shared Industrial Projects: HiiROC has collaborated on low-carbon hydrogen projects in the Humberside region close to major INEOS operational footprints, connecting clean-tech hydrogen initiatives with heavy UK industrial chemical hubs.
Note.
- The last paragraph, I clipped from The Times mentioned hydrogen.
- The HiiROC process can use any hydrocarbon gas as feedstock and is five times more energy efficient than traditional electrolysis.
- HiiROC is backed technically by the University of Hull.
- The ICI plant produced loads of soot and HiiROC produces carbon black, so I wonder, if the two processes are by any chance related?
It strikes me that some of the various interests have come up with a route to creating acetyls, that is more efficient.
I suspect Sir Jim Ratcliffe will disclose a clever plan at some time.
What Is The Connection Between The University Of Hull And HiiROC?
I asked Google AI this question and received this reply.
The University of Hull and HiiROC have a collaborative partnership focused on developing clean energy technology.
Nature of the ConnectionTechnology
Collaboration: HiiROC worked collaboratively with the University of Hull (leveraging regional programs like those from the university’s Aura Innovation Centre) to help develop and test Thermal Plasma Electrolysis (TPE).
Clean Energy Innovation: This proprietary TPE technology converts biomethane, flare gas, or natural gas into clean “emerald” hydrogen and valuable solid carbon black without greenhouse gas emissions.
By-Product Research: The partnership includes joint efforts to research potential commercial uses for carbon black, the solid carbon by-product created during HiiROC’s hydrogen-generation process.
Regional Growth: HiiROC established its development and testing facilities in Hull to advance this technology, working alongside local academic and business innovation networks tied to the university.
From my experience in the 1960s at ICI Mond Division in Cheshire, I believe that this could be one of the most important research projects in the UK.
Could INEOS Be Going To Collect All Their Flare Gas In Hull?
Consider.
- The HiiROC process can use any hydrocarbon gas as feedstock.
- This would include chemical plant flare gas, biomethane and natural gas.
- The HiiROC process extracts the hydrogen as hydrogen gas.
- The HiiROC process extracts the carbon as carbon black.
I have seven questions.
- Suppose INEOS collected all the flare gas from their chemical plants in Hull, could they use this as feedstock in a HiiROC process to create hydrogen efficiently?
- Could they collect biomethane from Humberside and mix this with the flare gas?
- Could they bring in extra flare gas from chemical plants elsewhere in the UK and Europe using coastal gas tankers or rail tankers?
- Could INEOS use natural gas, if they were short of flare gas and biomethane?
- Could any excess hydrogen be stored in Aldbrough or Rough gas storage?
- Could any excess hydrogen be sold on to other companies?
- Could hydrogen be used to make the acetyls?
I suspect that all questions have an answer in the affirmative.
Conclusion
I feel that Sir Jim Ratcliffe made a very shrewd investment in HiiROC.
Andy Burnham Set For Clash With MPs Over North Sea Oil And Gas
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
The prime minister must decide whether to approve the Rosebank oilfield and Jackdaw gasfield but will face opposition from backbenchers if he goes ahead
These are the first three paragraphs.
Andy Burnham faces a potential showdown with Labour MPs after suggesting faster extraction of North Sea oil and gas could help pay for the transition to clean energy.
The prime minister is preparing to decide whether to approve the Rosebank oilfield and Jackdaw gasfield after consultations on both projects closed.
Industry sources have told The Times they believe Burnham will approve Jackdaw but may resist calls to go ahead with Rosebank because of opposition from MPs.
These are my thoughts.
My Boiler, Gas And Jackdaw
Consider.
- This year my boiler died. So I spent several thousand pounds, but I did get a new gas boiler with a 12-year guarantee.
- I am now 79, so can this government, or any for that matter, give me a guarantee, that I will live to 91 to get value from my boiler?
- I know enough about heating, as I have installed a couple of systems for myself, to know that my current house is not suitable for a heat pump.
- But it may be suitable for some type of electric data centre boiler like heata, which was invented by British Gas Research. But, I’m not hopeful yet!
- Meanwhile, Centrica have done a large hand-full of deals to keep the country in enough gas to power us through the winter.
- Some of these are MiQ-certified, which is a bit like Organic for methane, except that emissions are kept to a minimum.
- I covered MiQ-certification in What Is MiQ-Certification?.
So provided we don’t get an extreme-left scientifically-incorrect government, led by someone like the lady with pink hair in Hackney, I should be able to keep myself warm in winter.
But would I vote for any party, that was going to cut off my gas supply?
But Centrica have been clever.
- They have plenty of gas storage at Rough.
- Their press releases show they are buying gas according to MiQ.
- Grain LNG Terminal, which they bought last year has an export facility, so any spare gas they have can be exported to a country to replace coal or Russian gas.
- MiQ-certified gas probably fetches a higher price.
- Centrica would be an obvious purchaser for any North Sea gas.
This gives some dates of the players and Jackdaw
- BG Group and Centrica were demerged from British Gas plc in 1997.
- BG Group discovered Jackdaw in 2005.
- BG Group were taken over by Shell in 2015.
If I was the owner of Jackdaw, I would make sure that my gas had the highest MiQ possible.
If I was energy minister, I’d enforce it.
Will Jackdaw Be A Tie-Back To Shearwater?
I’ve read that it might be, so I asked Google AI and received this answer.
Yes, Jackdaw is designed and developed as a 30-kilometer (approx. 18.5 miles) subsea tie-back to the existing Shearwater platform in the central North Sea.
Project Connection Details
Infrastructure: A multi-phase subsea pipeline links the unstaffed Jackdaw wellhead platform directly to the Shearwater hub.
Processing: Hydrocarbons extracted from Jackdaw will be processed and routed through Shearwater before final export onshore to the St Fergus terminal.
Distance: The subsea pipeline spans roughly 30 kilometers (18.5 miles) northwest from the Jackdaw field to the Shearwater installation.
I also found this detailed article on the Chemical Engineer which is entitled Shell To Invest In Shearwater Gas Infrastructure Hub.
Shell certainly seem to be doing comprehensive planning to bring the gas from Jackdaw to the mainland.
- Currently, gas from the Shearwater hub is sent to Bacton in Norfolk.
- After, Jackdaw is connected to Shearwater, the gas will be sent to St. Fergus, which is North of Aberdeen.
- Google AI says that The Shearwater hub is located approximately 140 miles (225 kilometers) east of Aberdeen in the Central North Sea.
It’s probably all in a day’s work for engineers in the North Sea, but it doesn’t sound to be the easiest project to me.
Will The Jackdaw Gas Field Be Used For CO2 Storage?
I felt this could be a possibility, so I asked Google AI, the question and received this answer.
No, the Jackdaw gas field will not be used for CO2 storage.It is an active natural gas extraction project in the North Sea, though CO2 separated from its extracted gas may eventually be routed to external storage.
Field Status and CO2 Handling
Extraction only: The underground reservoirs at Jackdaw contain natural gas and high-pressure/high-temperature hydrocarbons rather than being purposed for carbon storage.
Onshore processing: Gas from the field comes ashore at St Fergus, where carbon dioxide mixed into the raw gas stream is removed during processing.
Broader CCS links: While Jackdaw itself is a producing asset, its operations tie into Shell’s broader involvement with the regional Acorn Carbon Capture and Storage project, which aims to pipe and sequester CO2 elsewhere.
That was a definite no, that Jackdaw will not be used for Carbon Capture and Storage, but the carbon dioxide in the gas may be stored in the Acorn Carbon Capture and Storage project.
Will Centrica Be Applying Just-in-Time-Delivery To Gas Cargoes?
One of the jobs, I was involved in was scheduling container ships for OCL, in the 1970s.
- I’m fairly certain, that ships were speeded up and slowed down, so that ports weren’t overloaded.
- It was all done with my PERT7 project management software, which ran on Time Sharing at Great Portland Street.
I can envisage a clever programmer at Centrica writing a large simulation of all their natural gas deals and calling off gas cargoes, when required.
- Gas tankers would be constantly sailing between the gas fields in the Americas and LNG Terminals like Grain, where the cargo was needed.
- It would be nice to have a local supply of natural gas to fill in the gaps between cargoes, but delaying and speeding up of deliveries would have the same effect.
- I also suspect cargoes could be diverted to Germany, Poland or the highest bidder, when there is a glut of gas.
It could be a classic example of advanced control engineering, but very similar to what OCL were doing fifty years ago.
By applying just-in-time-delivery to gas cargoes, Centrica would reduce the need for storage in the UK.
At least gas doesn’t have a sell-by date!
How Much Liquid Natural Gas Storage Is There At The Grain LNG Terminal?
Google AI gave me this answer to the question in the title of this section.
The Grain LNG terminal on the Isle of Grain in Kent has a total liquid natural gas (LNG) storage capacity of 1.2 million cubic metres (1,200,000 m³) following recent site expansions.
Terminal Storage Overview
Total Capacity: 1.2 million m³ of cryogenic tank space (increased from the original 1.0 million m³ capacity).
Tank Configuration: Consists of massive full-containment cryogenic storage tanks (such as the 190,000 m³ tanks added in phases).
System Throughput: The facility can process up to 15 million tonnes per annum (mtpa), meeting a significant share of the UK’s total gas demand.
It should be remembered that storing gas as liquid reduces the space needed.
What Is The Capacity Of A Typical LNG Carrier?
Google AI gave me this answer to the question in the title of this section.
A typical modern liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier has a cargo capacity of approximately 174,000 cubic meters (m³).
This size has become the conventional standard for new builds, balancing port compatibility with transport scale, though global fleet capacities range widely from small-scale vessels to massive ultra-large ships.
Vessel Size Categories
Small-scale carriers: Hold roughly 1,000 m³ to 40,000 m³, used for regional distribution and bunkering.
Medium-scale carriers: Range from 40,000 m³ to 80,000 m³.
Conventional large carriers: Standard modern designs cluster around 140,000 m³ to 180,000 m³, with 174,000 m³ dominating recent ship orders.
Maxi-size carriers (Q-Flex and Q-Max): Specialized ultra-large vessels reach capacities between 210,000 m³ and 266,000 m³, primarily built to service long-distance routes out of Qatar.
Grain LNG Terminal can hold about four cargoes from the largest LNG Carriers.
My extensive experience of writing scheduling algorithms, which go back to one I wrote at ICI Mond in 1968, feels that by scheduling the arrival of the ships, there may well be enough storage at Grain LNG Terminal to keep the UK in gas.
I wonder, if for some time, Centrica have known, that they don’t need Rough for natural gas storage, which is why they have ambitions to turn it into hydrogen storage.
JERA Nex BP, EnBW Submit Morven Offshore Wind Farm Application
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
A joint venture between JERA Nex BP and EnBW has submitted Section 36 consent applications for the Morven offshore wind farm to the Scottish government
These two paragraphs add a few details.
The developer secured the seabed rights for the Morven offshore wind farm as a single project in the ScotWind Leasing Round in 2022 and split it into two separate projects during the early development phase.
Located around 60 kilometres off the coast of Aberdeenshire at its closest point, the site is planned to house Morven North and Morven South, which would have a combined installed capacity of up to 3 GW and around 190 wind turbines in total.
Morven Offshore Wind Farm now has a comprehensive web site.
The web site says that the electricity will be brought ashore at Hawthorn Pit.
This Google Map shows the location of Hawthorn Pit.
Note.
- Hawthorn Pit is indicated by the red arrow.
- Sunderland is at the top of the map on the coast.
- Aura Power has already obtained planning permission for Hawthorn Pit solar farm, which will be up to 49.9 MW.
- Zenobe are developing a battery-energy-storage-system(BESS) 1.5 km to the South-East of the new Hawthorn Pit substation, which will have an output of 300 MW. Sloppily, there is no detail on capacity, but Google AI indicates, it is a 300 MW/600 MWh battery.
- Hawthorn Pit substation is also the expected to be the Southern end of Eastern Green Link 1, which will help to bring Scottish wind power to England, which will be a 2 GW undersea interconnector to Torness.
In Murphy Starts Work On £2.5bn Eastern Green Link 1, I detail the start of building of Eastern Green Link 1 and say it should be operational by 2029.
When Is The Morven Offshore Wind Farm Expected To Be Commissioned?
I asked Google AI the question above and received this answer.
The 2.9 GW Morven offshore wind farm is expected to be fully commissioned and operational between 2031 and 2035, with initial grid connections and power export potentially starting as early as 2030.
The timeline for full deployment of the Morven Offshore Wind Farm remains somewhat flexible as it depends on final planning approvals and connection offers from the National Energy System Operator (NESO).
The Cables For The Morven Offshore Wind Farm And Eastern Green Link 1
This map clipped from the Morven Offshore Wind Farm web site, shows the locations of Aberdeen, Hawthorn Pit and the Morven Offshore Wind Farm.
Note.
- The location of the Morven wind array was first mentioned in June 2020, as part of ScotWind by Crown Estate Scotland.
- The development of Eastern Green Link 1 was first mentioned in May 2021, by National Grid.
- Torness is to the East of Edinburgh.
- Eastern Green Link 1 connects Torness and Hawthorn Pit.
- the Morven wind array connects to England at Hawthorn Pit.
Over the last few years National Grid and other companies have been developing a technique called offshore hybrid assets, which I describe in What Are Offshore Hybrid Assets?.
An offshore hybrid asset typically connects two countries via a large offshore wind farm, which can then send electricity to both countries.
In a traditional design, there would need to be.
- A 2 GW cable between Torness and Hawthorn Pit.
- A 2.9 GW cable between Morven and Hawthorn Pit.
In the Offshore Hybrid Asset design, there would need to be.
- A 2 GW cable between Torness and Morven
- A 2.9 GW cable between Morven and Hawthorn Pit.
I suspect cable would be saved.
This map shows the position of each ScotWind Leasing wind farm.
Note.
- The numbers are Scotwind’s lease number in their documents.
- Morven is ScotWind lease number 1.
- Eastern Green Link 1 is one of four interconnectors down the East Coast of the UK.
- I have added up the ScotWind lease numbers 1-6 and they total 10.5 GW.
That would be a lot of power to capture just by converting the four Eastern Green Link interconnectors into offshore hybrid assets.
How Will Aquaventus Connect To Aberdeen?
This is RWE’s description of AquaVentus, which is sub-titled Hydrogen Production In The North Sea.
Hydrogen is considered the great hope of decarbonisation in all sectors that cannot be electrified, e.g. industrial manufacturing, aviation and shipping. Massive investments in the expansion of renewable energy are needed to enable carbon-neutral hydrogen production. After all, wind, solar and hydroelectric power form the basis of climate-friendly hydrogen.
In its quest for climate-friendly hydrogen production, the AquaVentus initiative has set its sights on one renewable energy generation technology: offshore wind. The initiative aims to use electricity from offshore wind farms to operate electrolysers also installed at sea on an industrial scale. Plans envisage setting up electrolysis units in the North Sea with a total capacity of 10 gigawatts, enough to produce 1 million metric tons of green hydrogen.
RWE have also put this AquaVentus video on their web site.
Note, that in the video AquaVentus connects Germany to Denmark, Norway, The Netherlands and Aberdeen and Humberside in the UK.
I asked Google AI, the question in the title of this section, and received this answer.
AquaVentus connects to Aberdeen through a strategic infrastructure partnership with Hydrogen Scotland. The two organizations are integrating offshore wind power, offshore electrolysis, and a shared cross-border pipeline to link Scottish renewable generation with European industrial markets.
The connection strategy relies on a multi-stage approach across the North Sea:
Offshore Production & Transmission: AquaVentus aims to produce green hydrogen directly offshore. It will be transported via a pan-European pipeline network—such as the planned 400 km AquaDuctus to link offshore hubs with both the UK and mainland Europe.
Scottish-German Export Corridor: Building on previous research like the Scot2Ger study, this pipeline corridor directly connects Scotland’s abundant offshore wind resources to European demand, establishing Aberdeen as a critical origin node.
Integrated Energy Backbone: The initiative champions hybrid connection concepts (combining both power cables and hydrogen pipelines). This allows for maximum flexibility when integrating Aberdeen’s local onshore hydrogen infrastructure with broader transnational energy grids.
I will now ask Google AI some supplementary questions about AquaVentus in UK waters.
“Will AquaVentus Produce Hydrogen In UK Waters?”
Google AI gave this reply.
Yes, AquaVentus plans to produce green hydrogen in UK waters. The German-led consortium has partnered with Hydrogen Scotland to harness Scotland’s offshore wind potential for large-scale, cross-border hydrogen production and export.
Key Details of the UK-German Initiative
Production Scale: The initiative aims to install 10 gigawatts (GW) of offshore electrolysis capacity in the North Sea by 2035, producing up to 1 million metric tonnes of green hydrogen annually.
The “Pipes and Wires” Model: Offshore wind parks will be equipped with hybrid connection concepts, providing the flexibility to either send electricity directly to the grid or convert it into hydrogen via offshore electrolysers.
Transportation: The produced hydrogen will be transported to land via a shared transnational subsea pipeline corridor, linking Scottish resources to Germany and mainland Europe.The partnership is specifically aimed at creating a North Sea hydrogen corridor to boost energy security and build the foundational European Hydrogen Backbone.
“Will AquaVentus Land Hydrogen In Scotland?”
Google AI gave this reply.
Yes, the German-led AquaVentus initiative plans to land green hydrogen in Scotland as part of a coordinated North Sea energy corridor.
The cross-border initiative involves the following components:
The Pipeline Connection: A key part of the plan is the AquaDuctus offshore subsea pipeline, designed to collect green hydrogen produced from central North Sea wind farms and land it on the coast.
Scottish Partnership: Hydrogen Scotland and AquaVentus have formalized a Memorandum of Understanding to combine Scotland’s massive offshore wind potential with German infrastructure and electrolysis expertise.
Export Ambitions: Scotland aims to produce up to 3.3 Mt of green hydrogen per year by 2045, heavily relying on pipelines and networks to export this to mainland European hubs like Germany.
Offshore Facilities: The broader initiative plans to install 10 GW of offshore electrolysis capacity in the North Sea to produce up to 1 million tonnes of hydrogen annually.
Note that Google AI has told me that a Megatonne of hydrogen is currently worth around £2.5-5 billion.
“Will AquaVentus Connect To Any Of The ScotWind Leasing Wind Farms?”
Google AI gave this reply.
Yes, AquaVentus plans to link Scottish offshore wind resources (including ScotWind farms) to mainland Europe. Through an agreement with Hydrogen Scotland, AquaVentus intends to utilize hybrid “pipes and wires” infrastructure to transmit power or convert it into green hydrogen for direct pipeline transport.
The partnership serves several strategic goals:
The “Pipes & Wires” Concept: Wind farms built under the ScotWind leasing round will have the flexibility to either route electricity to the UK grid or convert it into green hydrogen via offshore electrolysers.
Cross-Border Pipelines: The hydrogen generated by Scottish offshore wind is targeted to be fed into the planned AquaDuctus pipeline, which forms a transnational energy corridor connecting the UK to Germany and the rest of Europe.
Policy Integration: AquaVentus is actively advocating for legal reforms to accommodate these cross-border hybrid connections, allowing direct pipeline integration for future offshore parks.
I believe these ScotWind Leasing wind farms could be connected to AquaVentus.
- 1 – Morven – 2.9 GW – JERA Nex BP, EnBW
- 2 – Ossian – 2.6 GW – SSE Renewables
- 3 – Bellrock – 1.2 GW – Falck Renewables
- 4 – CampionWind – 2 GW – Scottish Power, Shell
- 5 – Muir Mhòr – 0.8 GW – Vattenfall
- 6 – Bowdun – – 1 GW – Thistle Wind Partners
Note.
- All companies are major energy companies.
- The wind farms are in a cluster to the South-East of Scotland.
- Wind farms 2-5 are floating, and 1 and 6 are fixed.
- There is a maximum power of 10.5 GW.
- These wind farms would not need to be shut down, when there was too much wind, if the excess electricity could be converted into hydrogen.
- The “Pipes & Wires” Concept would allow all energy generated to be transferred to shore, either as electricity or hydrogen.
Cables would need to be laid to perform the functions of the Eastern Green Links 1-4.
- Eastern Green Link 1 – Torness and Hawthorn Pit
- Eastern Green Link 2 – Peterhead and Drax
- Eastern Green Link 3 – Westfield and Lincolnshire
- Eastern Green Link 4 – Peterhead and Lincolnshire
Eastern Green Link 5 is under development between Aberdeenshire and Lincolnshire.
“Is Anderby Creek An Important Node In The Electricity Grid?”
Google AI gave this reply.
Yes, Anderby Creek has become a highly important landfall location for the UK’s electricity grid, acting as a crucial connection point for high-capacity subsea cables bringing renewable energy from Scotland and offshore wind farms into England.
Its role in the national grid’s infrastructure centers on several major “superhighway” projects:
Eastern Green Link 5 (EGL 5): This £3bn National Grid project involves a 585km subsea High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) cable carrying up to 2 GW of clean power (enough for two million homes) from Aberdeenshire, Scotland, to Anderby Creek.
Eastern Green Links 3 & 4 (EGL 3 / EGL 4): These are additional massive subsea cable projects that also plan to make landfall at Anderby Creek to transport Scottish wind energy down the UK coastline.
Offshore Wind Export Cables: Beyond long-distance transmission, the village already hosts export cables from local offshore wind developments like the Triton Knoll Wind Farm.
Because of the massive volume of power coming ashore, Anderby Creek serves as the starting point for significant onshore infrastructure. The cables transition underground at the beach and run roughly 8km inland to a proposed new converter station near Bilsby/Alford, where the power is converted and integrated into the broader Great Grid Upgrade.
“Will AquaVentus Have Access To The UK’s hydrogen Storage On Humberside?”
Google AI gave this reply.
Yes. Through a strategic partnership with Hydrogen Scotland, the AquaVentus initiative aims to establish cross-border offshore infrastructure that connects the central North Sea with existing and planned hydrogen networks across the UK, including those on Humberside.
The pipeline infrastructure associated with AquaVentus is envisioned to reach the UK just south of the massive hydrogen storage facilities located in East Yorkshire. While the German offshore pipeline (like AquaDuctus) is focused on landing green hydrogen into Germany, the broader AquaVentus framework is designed to integrate with British transmission networks and link to underground cavern storage in the UK.
On Humberside, major energy giants (including Centrica, Equinor, and SSE Thermal) are developing the integrated Humber Hydrogen transport and storage network. This system encompasses large-scale hydrogen storage at the Aldbrough Hydrogen Storage site and Rough Gas Storage. Because the AquaVentus UK branch connects to the Humber area’s onshore network, it positions the initiative to take advantage of these regional storage assets as a cornerstone for international trade and domestic energy resilience.
I think this is key as it gives AquaVentus access to very large hydrogen storage.
Conclusion
It almost looks to me, that National Grid and AquaVentus are combining their pipes and wires between the Southern North Sea and Aberdeen.
- Hydrogen offtake for Germany will be at Wilhelmshaven.
- Hydrogen offtake for England will be at Humberside.
- Hydrogen offtake for Scotland will be at Aberdeen.
- Electricity offtake for Germany will be at Wilhelmshaven.
- Electricity offtake for England will be at Anderby Creek.
- Electricity offtake for England will be at Hawthorn Pit.
- Electricity offtake for Scotland will be at Torness.
- Electricity offtake for Scotland will be at Aberdeen.
Note.
- There will probably be other connections to onshore locations and offshore wind farms.
- Hydrogen imports will be possible from Denmark, Norway and The Netherlands direct into AquaVentus.
Two Thirds Of Sofia Wind Turbines Installed
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Seventy wind turbines have been installed at RWE’s Sofia offshore wind farm in the UK, according to a Notice to Mariners recently issued by the project team.
These two paragraphs give more details of the installation process.
The first of the project’s 100 Siemens Gamesa SG 14-222 DD wind turbines was installed in March 2025, and the work reached the halfway mark in September last year. The vessel deployed for the work is Cadeler’s Wind Peak, which is carrying components for six turbines per trip, operating from the port of Hull.
IWS service operation vessel (SOV) IWS Seawalker is supporting the wind turbine installation work.
Note.
- Sofia is being installed by German Company ; RWE.
- Sofa will use 14 MW Siemens Gamesa wind turbines, some of which have recyclable blades.
- The installation process is being carried out nearly 200 kilometers out to sea on the Dogger Bank.
The power will be connected to the grid at Lackenby substation, which is near the Wilton chemical works, which can certainly you the electricity.
Does Wilton Chemical Works Have A Power Station?
I asked GoogleAI, the question in the title of this section and received this reply.
Yes, the Wilton International industrial site (formerly associated with ICI chemical works) has multiple power stations and significant on-site energy generation, operated primarily by Sembcorp Utilities UK. The site features a biomass power station (Wilton 10), a further biomass unit (Wilton 11), and an energy-from-waste plant, supplying electricity and steam to chemical and industrial businesses on-site.
Note.
- Wilton 10 opened as a biomass power station in 2002.
- Wilton 11 opened as a biomass power station in 2016.
I seem to remember, that one of these power stations was there on my visits to Wilton for ICI in the 1970s.
Key details regarding power generation at Wilton:
Biomass & Waste-to-Energy:
The site transitioned from coal-fired units to renewable biomass and waste-to-energy, utilizing wood and other byproducts for power and heat generation.
Sembcorp Utilities:
Sembcorp operates the site’s energy infrastructure, which includes five different generation assets and a private wire network.
Capacity: The site hosts significant generation capacity, including a 52MW biomass unit and a 35MW unit.
Future Projects: The site is involved in developments for net-zero emissions, including the Whitetail Clean Energy project, which is planned as the UK’s first Net Zero emissions power plant with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).
The site serves as a “plug and play” industrial location offering on-site, cost-effective energy.
Conclusion
This would appear to be a sensible small power system providing 1400 GW of wind power, backed up if needed be by the two biomass units, which total 87 MW.
Note, that ICI were storing gases under the site for many years, so I suspect, that Carbon Capture and Storage, might work well at this location.
I can see other places, where a wind farm, is combined with energy from waste for backup.
Are Wind Farms Being Backed Up By Energy From Waste Units In The UK?
I asked GoogleAI, the question in the title of this section and received this reply.
Yes, but only in a limited, complementary capacity, rather than as a direct, large-scale substitute for wind power.
Energy from Waste (EfW) units—commonly known as incinerators—are increasing in the UK, but their role in the grid is different from how we “back up” wind.
Here is a breakdown of how it works:
1. The Role of EfW (Baseload, not Backup)
Baseload Generation: EfW plants run 24/7 to burn waste. They provide a steady, consistent, predictable “baseload” of electricity (about 2–3% of UK supply).
Intermittency: Because they run constantly, they cannot ramp up and down quickly when the wind stops blowing. Therefore, they are not a “flexible” backup in the same way gas power plants are.
Partial Renewable: Around 50% of the energy produced by EfW is considered renewable (organic waste), helping the UK hit green targets.
2. What Actually Backs Up Wind?
When wind farms stop producing power during low-wind periods (often called “dunkelflaute”), the UK relies on other sources:
Natural Gas Plants: These are the primary, flexible backup that can ramp up instantly to fill gaps in renewable production.
Interconnectors: Imported electricity from other countries (e.g., Norway, France).
Battery Storage: Growing, but still small-scale compared to total demand.
3. How EfW Helps the Grid
EfW does assist the grid by providing system inertia and consistent, low-carbon, on-demand energy, reducing the need for more fossil fuels to be burnt at certain times. They are particularly useful for providing power when the grid is congested, but they do not specifically act as a “spare tire” for wind farms.
4. Future Trends
The government is looking to attach Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) to EfW units, which would make them a low-carbon, dependable, and sustainable part of the energy mix by the 2030s.
In summary: EfW plays a part in supporting a greener grid, but it is not a direct substitute for the flexibility required to back up intermittent wind power.
5. Hydrogen Power
This is a section, that artificial intelligence has unsurprisingly left out, as no country has yet built the hydrogen storage and the power stations to generate the electricity, when it is needed.
But Note.
- SSE are building a big hydrogen store in Yorkshire at Aldbrough.
- Centrica are converting the Rough gas storage to a hydrogen store.
- SSE are building a 910 MW hydrogen-powered power station at Keadby.
- SSE are building a 1200 MW hydrogen-powered power station at Ferrybridge.
I suspect if you were building a chemical plant and Wilton fitted your budget, you would take a look.
Development Consent Decision On 3 GW Dogger Bank South Project Postponed
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
The UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero has set a new deadline for the decision on the Development Consent Order (DCO) for Dogger Bank South, a 3 GW offshore wind project developed by RWE, which the company owns in partnership with Masdar.
These two paragraphs add more detail to the project.
The statutory deadline for the decision on the project was 10 January 2026. This has now been moved to 30 April.
According to a statement from the Minister for Energy Consumers, Martin McCluskey, the extension will allow time to request further information that was not provided for consideration during the examination period and to give all interested parties the opportunity to review and comment on such information.
I clipped this map from the Dogger Bank South web site.
Note.
- Bridlington, Kingston-Upon-Hull and Scarborough can be picked out on the coast of East Yorkshire.
- The two wind farms and the route of the cables to the shore can be clearly seen.
I just wonder, whether the nature of the project is changing.
Consider.
- Three GW is a lot of power to move across Yorkshire to where it can be connected to the grid.
- In Consultation On Offshore Wind Reform: Hydrogen Sector Calls For Hybrid Connection Concepts And Warns Of Compensation Risks, German companies involved in the AquaVentus project are calling for more hydrogen to be produced offshore and piped to the shore.
- Could hydrogen produced in the Dogger Bank Wind farms be piped to the Northern end of the AquaVentus pipeline on the German sector of the Dogger Bank?
- A pipeline or cable could still bring energy to Yorkshire.
- The hydrogen could go to the hydrogen stores at Aldbrough and Rough.
- SSE and Centrica could play hydrogen-bankers to the Germans, as Germany is short of hydrogen storage.
- East Yorkshire is building two hydrogen power stations at Keadby and Ferrybridge.
- Support for the Dogger Bank South wind farms will probably be from RWE’S Grimsby hub.
Is this the Anglo-German co-operation, I talked about in UK And Germany Boost Offshore Renewables Ties at work?
I can see benefits for this arrangement for the UK.
- Hydrogen production is offshore.
- A lot of the onshore employment is in the UK.
- There will be a hydrogen pipeline between Germany and the vast hydrogen storage of Humberside via the German Dogger Bank and Dogger Bank South wind farms.
- Will there be a hydrogen pipeline between the North of Scotland and Humberside via the AquaVentus pipeline?
- There will also be a substantial cash flow to the UK Treasury because of all the hydrogen production in UK waters.
RWE may also be able to use a standard hydrogen production platform in German and UK waters.
This is the sort of plan, that the money men will like.
The Thoughts Of Chris O’Shea
This article on This Is Money is entitled Centrica boss has bold plans to back British energy projects – but will strategy pay off?.
The article is basically an interview with a reporter and gives O’Shea’s opinions on various topics.
Chris O’Shea is CEO of Centrica and his Wikipedia entry gives more details.
These are his thoughts.
On Investing In Sizewell C
This is a paragraph from the article.
‘Sizewell C will probably run for 100 years,’ O’Shea says. ‘The person who will take the last electron it produces has probably not been born. We are very happy to be the UK’s largest strategic investor.’
Note.
- The paragraph shows a bold attitude.
- I also lived near Sizewell, when Sizewell B was built and the general feeling locally was that the new nuclear station was good for the area.
- It has now been running for thirty years and should be good for another ten.
Both nuclear power stations at Sizewell have had a good safety record. Could this be in part, because of the heavy engineering tradition of the Leiston area?
On Investing In UK Energy Infrastructure
This is a paragraph from the article
‘I just thought: sustainable carbon-free electricity in a country that needs electricity – and we import 20 per cent of ours – why would we look to sell nuclear?’ Backing nuclear power is part of O’Shea’s wider strategy to invest in UK energy infrastructure.
The UK certainly needs investors in UK energy infrastructure.
On Government Support For Sizewell C
This is a paragraph from the article.
Centrica’s 500,000 shareholders include an army of private investors, many of whom came on board during the ‘Tell Sid’ privatisations of the 1980s and all of whom will be hoping he is right. What about the risks that deterred his predecessors? O’Shea argues he will achieve reliable returns thanks to a Government-backed financial model that enables the company to recover capital ploughed into Sizewell C and make a set return.
I have worked with some very innovative accountants and bankers in the past fifty years, including an ex-Chief Accountant of Vickers and usually if there’s a will, there’s a solution to the trickiest of financial problems.
On LNG
These are two paragraphs from the article.
Major moves include a £200 million stake in the LNG terminal at Isle of Grain in Kent.
The belief is that LNG, which produces significantly fewer greenhouse gas emissions than other fossil fuels and is easier and cheaper to transport and store, will be a major source of energy for the UK in the coming years.
Note.
- Centrica are major suppliers of gas-powered Combined Heat and Power units were the carbon dioxide is captured and either used or sold profitably.
- In at least one case, a CHP unit is used to heat a large greenhouse and the carbon dioxide is fed to the plants.
- In another, a the gas-fired Redditch power station, the food-grade carbon dioxide is sold to the food and construction industries.
- Grain LNG Terminal can also export gas and is only a short sea crossing from gas-hungry Germany.
- According to this Centrica press release, Centrica will run low-carbon bunkering services from the Grain LNG Terminal.
I analyse the investment in Grain LNG Terminal in Investment in Grain LNG.
On Rough Gas Storage
These are three paragraphs from the article.
O’Shea remains hopeful for plans to develop the Rough gas storage facility in the North Sea, which he re-opened in 2022.
The idea is that Centrica will invest £2 billion to ‘create the biggest gas storage facility in the world’, along with up to 5,000 jobs.
It could be used to store hydrogen, touted as a major energy source of the future, provided the Government comes up with a supportive regulatory framework as it has for Sizewell.
The German AquaVentus project aims to bring at least 100 GW of green hydrogen to mainland Germany from the North Sea.
This map of the North Sea, which I downloaded from the Hydrogen Scotland web site, shows the co-operation between Hydrogen Scotland and AquaVentus
Note.
- The yellow AquaDuctus pipeline connected to the German coast near Wilhelmshaven.
- There appear to be two AquaDuctus sections ; AQD 1 and AQD 2.
- There are appear to be three proposed pipelines, which are shown in a dotted red, that connect the UK to AquaDuctus.
- The Northern proposed pipeline appears to connect to the St. Fergus gas terminal on the North-East tip of Scotland.
- The two Southern proposed pipelines appear to connect to the Easington gas terminal in East Yorkshire.
- Easington gas terminal is within easy reach of the massive gas stores, which are being converted to store hydrogen at Aldbrough and Rough.
- The blue areas are offshore wind farms.
- The blue area straddling the Southernmost proposed pipe line is the Dogger Bank wind farm, is the world’s largest offshore wind farm and could eventually total over 6 GW.
- RWE are developing 7.2 GW of wind farms between Dogger Bank and Norfolk in UK waters, which could generate hydrogen for AquaDuctus.
This cooperation seems to be getting the hydrogen Germany needs to its industry.
It should be noted, that Germany has no sizeable hydrogen stores, but the AquaVentus system gives them access to SSE’s Aldbrough and Centrica’s Rough hydrogen stores.
So will the two hydrogen stores be storing hydrogen for both the UK and Germany?
Storing hydrogen and selling it to the country with the highest need could be a nice little earner.
On X-energy
These are three paragraphs from the article.
He is also backing a £10 billion plan to build the UK’s first advanced modular reactors in a partnership with X-energy of the US.
The project is taking place in Hartlepool, in County Durham, where the existing nuclear power station is due to reach the end of its life in 2028.
As is the nature of these projects, it involves risks around technology, regulation and finance, though the potential rewards are significant. Among them is the prospect of 2,500 jobs in the town, where unemployment is high.
Note.
- This is another bold deal.
- I wrote in detail about this deal in Centrica And X-energy Agree To Deploy UK’s First Advanced Modular Reactors.
- Jobs are mentioned in the This is Money article for the second time.
I also think, if it works to replace the Hartlepool nuclear power station, then it can be used to replace other decommissioned nuclear power stations.
On Getting Your First Job
These are three paragraphs from the article.
His career got off to a slow start when he struggled to secure a training contract with an accountancy firm after leaving Glasgow University.
‘I had about 30, 40 rejection letters. I remember the stress of not having a job when everyone else did – you just feel different,’ he says.
He feels it is ‘a duty’ for bosses to try to give young people a start.
I very much agree with that. I would very much be a hypocrite, if I didn’t, as I was given good starts by two companies.
On Apprenticeships
This is a paragraph from the article.
‘We are committed to creating one new apprenticeship for every day of this decade,’ he points out, sounding genuinely proud.
I very much agree with that. My father only had a small printing business, but he was proud of the apprentices he’d trained.
On Innovation
Centrica have backed three innovative ideas.
- heata, which is a distributed data centre in your hot water tank, which uses the waste heat to give you hot water.
- HiiROC, which is an innovative way to generate affordable hydrogen efficiently.
- Highview Power, which stores energy as liquid air.
I’m surprised that backing innovations like these was not mentioned.
Conclusion
This article is very much a must read.
The Monster That Is AquaVentus Is Waking Up
I have written about AquaVentus for some time, but inh the last couple of days, ten references have been found to the project by my Google Alert.
What Is AquaVentus?
AquaVentus has a web page on the RWE web site, from where I clipped this image.
Note.
- The spine of AquaVentus is a pipeline called AquaDuctus to bring hydrogen to Germany.
- This image shows 10.3 GW of hydrogen will be generated and brought to near Wilhelmshaven in North-West Germany.
These two paragraphs introduce AquaVentus.
Hydrogen is considered the great hope of decarbonisation in all sectors that cannot be electrified, e.g. industrial manufacturing, aviation and shipping. Massive investments in the expansion of renewable energy are needed to enable carbon-neutral hydrogen production. After all, wind, solar and hydroelectric power form the basis of climate-friendly hydrogen.
In its quest for climate-friendly hydrogen production, the AquaVentus initiative has set its sights on one renewable energy generation technology: offshore wind. The initiative aims to use electricity from offshore wind farms to operate electrolysers also installed at sea on an industrial scale. Plans envisage setting up electrolysis units in the North Sea with a total capacity of 10 gigawatts, enough to produce 1 million metric tons of green hydrogen.
It is not an unambitious project.
North Sea Hydrogen Co-operation: AquaVentus And Hydrogen Scotland
The title of this section is the same as that of this page on the Hydrogen Scotland web site.
This is the introduction.
Hydrogen Scotland signed a comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with AquaVentus at Offshore Europe in Aberdeen. The partnership aims to unlock the North Sea’s vast potential for hydrogen production and establish Scotland as a key supplier to European markets through the development of shared infrastructure.
Both partners are committed to intensifying research activities and advocating for the rapid scale-up of a European hydrogen economy.
By joining forces, members of AquaVentus and Hydrogen Scotland can help advance the development and deployment of technologies along the entire value chain – from production through transport and storage to the use of hydrogen for decarbonising the energy system. In addition, both organisations intend to intensify their supporting activities and jointly advocate for the accelerated ramp-up of a European hydrogen economy.
This map of the North Sea, which I downloaded from the Hydrogen Scotland web site, shows the co-operation.
Note.
- The yellow AquaDuctus pipeline connected to the German coast near Wilhelmshaven.
- There appear to be two AquaDuctus sections ; AQD 1 and AQD 2.
- There are appear to be three proposed pipelines, which are shown in a dotted red, that connect the UK to AquaDuctus.
- The Northern proposed pipeline appears to connect to the St. Fergus gas terminal on the North-East tip of Scotland.
- The two Southern proposed pipelines appear to connect to the Easington gas terminal in East Yorkshire.
- Easington gas terminal is within easy reach of the massive gas stores, which are being converted to hold hydrogen at Aldbrough and Rough.
- The blue areas are offshore wind farms.
- The blue area straddling the Southernmost proposed pipe line is the Dogger Bank wind farm, is the world’s largest offshore wind farm and could evebtually total over 6 GW.
- RWE are developing 7.2 GW of wind farms between Dogger Bank and Norfolk in UK waters, which could generate hydrogen for AquaDuctus.
This cooperation seems to be getting the hydrogen Germany needs to its industry.
These five paragraphs outline a position paper by AquaVentus.
This opportunity for German-British cooperation on hydrogen is highlighted in a position paper presented by AquaVentus alongside the signing of the MoU. This paper addresses how the requirements of German-British cooperation – as outlined, for example, in the July 2025 Kensington Treaty between the UK and Germany and the European Commission’s Common Understanding published in May 2025 – can be met.
The position paper highlights the significant potential of hydrogen production in Scotland, the necessity of imports for Germany, and references transport infrastructure already under planning. It thus lays the foundation for cross-border hydrogen trade between Germany and the United Kingdom, and for deeper European cooperation in the hydrogen sector, with three essential prerequisites:
Firstly, the networking of producers and consumers across national borders is critical for a successful market ramp-up
Secondly, beyond this synchronised production and transport infrastructure, regulatory frameworks must also be harmonised. Hybrid connection concepts (pipes & wires) that integrate both electricity and hydrogen networks provide the necessary flexibility for future energy needs, enable efficient use of renewable energy and ensure cost-effective grid expansion
Thirdly, the development from a national core network to a European Hydrogen Backbone is emphasised. Projects such as AquaDuctus can serve as a nucleus for building a pan-European hydrogen network that will shape Europe’s energy infrastructure in the long term. For the authors, strengthened cooperation with the United Kingdom is not only a sound energy policy and economic decision, but also a key contribution to European energy resilience.
Note.
Scotland And AquaVentus Partner On North Sea Hydrogen Pipeline Plans
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on H2-View.
These four paragraphs introduce the deal and add some detail.
Hydrogen Scotland has committed to working with the AquaDuctus consortium on cross-border infrastructure concepts to connect Scotland’s offshore wind power to hydrogen production in the North Sea.
Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the two organisations plan to combine Scotland’s offshore wind with AquaVentus’ offshore electrolysis expertise, linking export and import goals across the North Sea.
The AquaDuctus pipeline is a planned offshore hydrogen link designed to carry green hydrogen through the North Sea, using a pipes and wires hybrid approach. The German consortium plans 10GW of offshore electrolysers in the North Sea, producing around one million tonnes of green hydrogen.
The pipeline design allows offshore wind farms to deliver electricity when the grid needs it, or convert power into hydrogen via electrolysis and transport it through pipelines.
Germany is embracing hydrogen in a big way.
- I introduce AquaVentus in AquaVentus, which I suggest you read.
- AquaVentus is being developed by RWE.
- AquaVentus connects to a German hydrogen network called H2ercules to actually distribute the hydrogen.
This video shows the structure of AquaVentus.
I clipped this map from the video.
Note.
- The thick white line running North-West/South-East is the spine of AquaVentus, that will deliver hydrogen to Germany.
- There is a link to Esbjerg in Denmark, that is marked DK.
- There appears to be an undeveloped link to Norway, which goes North,
- There appears to be an undeveloped link to Peterhead in Scotland, that is marked UK.
- There appears to be a link to just North of the Humber in England, that is marked UK.
- Just North of the Humber are the two massive gas storage sites of Aldbrough owned by SSE and Rough owned by Centrica.
- Aldbrough and Rough gas storage sites are being converted into two of the largest hydrogen storage sites in the world!
- 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.
I believe that offshore electrolysers could be built in the area of the Hornsea 4, Dogger Bank South and other wind farms and the hydrogen generated would be taken by AquaVentus to either Germany or the UK.
- Both countries get the hydrogen they need.
- Excess hydrogen would be stored in Aldbrough and Rough.
- British Steel at Scunthorpe gets decarbonised.
- A 1.8 GW hydrogen-fired powerstation at Keadby gets the hydrogen it needs to backup the wind farms.
Germany and the UK get security in the supply of hydrogen.
Conclusion
This should be a massive deal for Germany and the UK.
Powering The Humber Energy Revolution
The title of this post is the same as this story on the Centrica web site.
This is the sub-heading.
From the UK’s largest industrial carbon emitter to a clean energy powerhouse, the Humber is ready to be transformed.
These are the first two paragraphs, which add more detail.
We’re prepared to invest £2 billion to keep Rough open and transform it into one of the world’s largest hydrogen storage facilities. This bold move is vital for the UK’s energy security, accelerating the energy transition and unlocking thousands of green jobs. But to make this vision a reality, we need strategic support from government.
We’ve spent time in the Humber, speaking with local communities and industry leaders to understand how this region’s infrastructure shapes lives and powers the nation.
It looks to me, that Centrica have got fed up with our useless, squabbling politicians and decided to act.
There is also a video to watch.
