In focus: Shoulder to shoulder towards a sustainable future

In this In Focus column, we report on initiatives that reduce the ecological footprint of the offshore energy and maritime industry. Week after week, we see that those developments have something in common. They share ingredients that make the difference. I am talking about, among others, (cross-market) collaborations, thinking outside the box and the willingness to change.

A good example of the will to change comes from the Italian oil and gas company Eni. They have entered into a three-year partnership with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to collaborate in the promotion of renewable energy and accelerate the energy transition, particularly in countries that export fossil fuels.

Specifically, Eni and IRENA will promote the integration of the African continent into the biofuel value chain through institutional capacity building, agribusiness and industrial development initiatives aimed at the production of advanced biofuels, helping the decarbonisation of the transport sector and promoting development opportunities.

There was also news from another oil major. TotalEnergies, together with other French companies Air Liquide and VINCI, joined other international companies to sponsor the creation of the world’s largest clean hydrogen infrastructure solutions fund. It will invest in the entire value chain of hydrogen, in the regions like the Americas, Asia, and Europe. It will invest as a partner in large upstream and downstream clean hydrogen projects.

Another initiative in which companies work shoulder to shoulder towards a more sustainable future came from France also. The independent renewable energy producer Qair has signed a partnership agreement with a business accelerator for marine renewable energy Bretagne Ocean Power to jointly contribute to the deployment of floating offshore wind, renewable hydrogen and tidal stream energy in the French region of Brittany.

The newly established partnership goes in line with Qair’s ambition to add 5GW of renewable energy capacity to its portfolio in the next five years that could be achieved through its multi-local and multi-technology strategy by further developing onshore and offshore wind, solar, tidal energy and hydrogen, the company said.

As Germany could not stay behind, it contributed by announcing that it will open offshore areas for green hydrogen production. The country plans to auction off sites in the North Sea Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) for the purpose of producing green hydrogen offshore, with auctions expected to start as early as 2022.

“Offshore production of green hydrogen is a forward-looking issue with great potential for innovation. Offshore hydrogen production can make a considerable contribution to the decarbonisation of industry in Germany,” Federal Minister Peter Altmaier said.

The German oil and gas company Wintershall Dea and the OTH Regensburg University of Applied Sciences pitched in by telling that they are working to explore how existing natural gas pipelines in the southern North Sea can be used for future CO2 transport.

So far, the results suggest that the offshore pipelines could be safely and efficiently repurposed for the transport of liquid CO2, and as the study progresses, technical feasibility will be tested, and certification will take place.

Staying in Germany, Jan De Nul Group reported that it is using solely second-generation biofuel for maintenance dredging works in the Port of Hamburg. This fuel contains no petroleum, but processed vegetable waste oil as raw material, entirely in line with the principles of a sustainable circular economy. Jan De Nul Nassbaggerei und Wasserbau GmbH has been awarded an important contract for maintenance dredging works in the Port of Hamburg within the scope of a European award procedure.

Taking the global perspective in mind, Jukka Kuuskoski, Chief Sales Officer (CSO) at Norsepower Oy Ltd, estimated during the recent Wind Propulsion Open Mic event that currently 30,000 ships in operation worldwide could be equipped with wind-assisted ship propulsion (WASP) technology. In the case of newbuilds, this number is said to be much bigger.

The same conclusion was shared earlier this year by Gavin Allwright, Secretary-General at the International Windship Association (IWSA), who said that the roll-out of fleet-wide wind propulsion by 2050 could unlock $1 trillion in fuel savings.