Norwegian wind developer Deep Wind Offshore has joined forces with hydrogen company Hy2gen to venture into green hydrogen production. Deep Wind Offshore CEO Knut Vassbotn highlighted the immense potential of combining offshore wind and hydrogen, emphasizing the critical role of green energy carriers in achieving net-zero goals.
Vassbotn noted, “One of the main challenges with offshore wind development is access and capacity in the power grid. In combination with hydrogen, these challenges are removed since the power from offshore wind can be used directly in the production of green energy carriers.”
Hy2gen Norway General Manager Hege Okland echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the effectiveness of energy carriers like hydrogen in reducing CO2 emissions from industries and the transport sector. She emphasized the alignment of this approach with the EU's climate target, calling for 42% of hydrogen in industry to come from renewable sources by 2030.
Deep Wind Offshore specializes in offshore wind projects in Norway, Sweden, and South Korea, while Hy2gen focuses on developing and operating green hydrogen production facilities across Europe, the USA, and Canada.
The collaboration aims to make green energy accessible to new customer groups that cannot be electrified directly but can transition from fossil fuels to green hydrogen. Addressing the challenge of decarbonization, Okland highlighted the resource-intensive nature of grid infrastructure investment, emphasizing the benefits of producing hydrogen close to offshore wind farms to reduce grid load.
Norway, with ambitions to award 30GW of offshore wind by 2040, sees potential in converting 16GW to ammonia, derived from green hydrogen, to eliminate 100% of the country's annual maritime emissions of 10 million tons of CO2, according to Deep Wind.
Okland outlined the partnership's goal to develop competitive projects with a strong market focus, aiming to create a new value chain early on, positioning Norway as a leader in the global market. Vassbotn sees this collaboration as a robust solution for achieving climate goals and driving increased exports and value creation.
