Petrogas, Gasunie looking into hydrogen transport via North Sea pipelines

Dutch energy infrastructure company Gasunie and compatriot oil and gas company Petrogas Transportation have partnered to investigate how the Petrogas pipeline installed under the North Sea can be reused to transport green hydrogen.

As disclosed, the research will focus on the feasibility of repurposing the pipeline for Demo 1, a demonstration project initiated by the Dutch Ministry of Climate Policy and Green Growth for the construction of a 20 to 50 MW electrolysis plant for the production of green hydrogen in the North Sea and its landfall in the North Sea Canal Area.

Highlighting the Netherlands’ offshore wind ambitions, Gasunie claimed that an offshore hydrogen network is needed to harvest the wind energy that would otherwise be lost if only power cables were used to get this green energy to shore.

“In this system, the wind energy generated is converted into hydrogen immediately on-site and is then brought to shore through offshore pipelines,” the company noted, adding that hydrogen at sea requires less space for cables and electrolyzers on land.

Moreover, according to Gasunie, hydrogen transport is “very (cost-) efficient” and thus the total cost of energy infrastructure becomes much lower. An additional advantage is that hydrogen can be imported from other North Sea countries via the North Sea pipelines, the company pointed out.

It is understood that Gasunie is studying different aspects of repurposing with various parties, including the Dutch Ministry of Climate and Green Growth. Aside from technical feasibility, aspects to be considered, reportedly, include legal frameworks, economic feasibility and the effects on nature and the environment.

As for Petrogas, the company is said to be studying various options for reusing its infrastructure, including the transport of green hydrogen through its existing pipelines.

The collaboration between Gasunie and Petrogas is expected to help determine whether the Petrogas pipeline is suitable for safe reuse for hydrogen transport according to the latest standards.

It is important to note that Gasunie is the intended network operator for the future hydrogen network in the North Sea. Dutch Minister for Climate and Energy Policy announced this in a letter to the House of Representatives in 2024. At the time, Gasunie revealed the company will be looking into whether and, if so, how can it reuse the existing North Sea gas infrastructure.