Italian company to assemble 2.5 MW offshore electrolyzer for Hollandse Kust Noord wind farm

CrossWind, a joint venture between Shell and Eneco, has contracted Fores Engineering, a subsidiary of the Rosetti Marino Group, to assemble the 2.5 MW offshore electrolyzer that Elogen will deliver for the now-operational Hollandse Kust Noord (HKN) offshore wind project in the Netherlands.

Fores Engineering’s scope includes detailed engineering, procurement, assembly, onshore yard integration, and commissioning assistance with the 2.5 MW offshore electrolyzer package. The contract covers the assembly of the electrolyzer package and its associated Balance of Plant (BoP), including a water treatment plant, hydrogen purification system, and control and telecommunications systems, delivered in collaboration with the French company Elogen.

CrossWind ordered a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyzer with a power of 2.5 MW from Elogen, part of the Gaztransport & Technigaz (GTT) group, at the beginning of last year. In July 2023, the developer awarded a contract for the construction of an offshore green hydrogen production and storage plant, called the baseload power hub (BLPH), to the Italian Rosetti Marino.

The complete green hydrogen plant will consist of four interconnected container-like modules that will be mounted on the BLPH platform.

The electrolyzer will be installed on the BLPH platform this year, according to Fores Engineering.

Rosetti Marino is currently building the baseload power hub at its construction yard in Marina di Ravenna, Italy. The company will complete, test, and transport the platform offshore for installation at the Hollandse Kust Noord wind farm by Rosetti by July/August 2025.

A few days ago, CrossWind said in an update on social media that Rosetti Marino installed a battery energy storage system (BESS), provided by German BESS vendors Statron and Freqcon, on the BLPH’s lower deck.

Hollandse Kust Noord is located 18.5 kilometres off the coast of Egmond aan Zee and has 69 Siemens Gamesa SG 11.0-200 DD wind turbines. The 759 MW offshore wind farm, which went into operation on 20 December 2023, is expected to produce at least 3.3 TWh of electricity, which corresponds to 2.8 per cent of the electricity demand.

In June this year, the project completed its Grid Compliance verification and received the Final Operational Notification (FON) certificate, as per the requirements of the Dutch grid code.

CrossWind describes the project as ”one of the Netherlands’ most innovative offshore wind parks” as it plans to integrate not only the green hydrogen production plant but also floating offshore solar panels and battery storage into the project.