Shell adds Worley to offshore wind-to-hydrogen project team

Dutch energy major Shell has awarded the Australian engineering company Worley a services contract to support the development of a new 200 MW electrolysis-based hydrogen plant in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

The new plant will be powered by renewable energy from an offshore wind farm that is currently in development, Worley said.

Once complete, the green hydrogen plant will be one of the largest commercial green hydrogen production facilities in the world.

Operations are scheduled to start by 2023 and are estimated to produce 50,000 – 60,000 kilograms of green hydrogen per day.

The green hydrogen produced will initially be used to decarbonize Shell’s nearby refinery in Pernis and support the industrial use of hydrogen in the heavy transportation industry.

Under the contract, Worley will provide early engineering services for the green hydrogen plant including integration with other assets such as offshore wind, pipelines, electrical grids, and Shell’s Pernis refinery.

The services will be executed from Worley’s offices in The Hague, with support from Worley’s global hydrogen subject-matter experts and Global Integrated Delivery team in India.

”As an Australian company operating globally, we are pleased to be working with Shell on this first-of-itskind project. We look forward to supporting Shell’s strategy to be a provider of net-zero emissions energy products and this project is an example of how Worley can help our customers achieve their goals and own purpose of delivering a more sustainable world,” said Chris Ashton, Chief Executive Officer of Worley.

Shell is currently developing the 759 MW Hollandse Kust Noord wind farm offshore the Netherlands through the CrossWind consortium with Eneco.

CrossWind plans to have Hollandse Kust (noord) operational in 2023 and generating at least 3.3 TWh per year.

The wind farm is located some 18.5 kilometres off the Dutch west coast and will comprise 69 Siemens Gamesa 11 MW turbines.

Last year, the CrossWind consortium said that the electricity generated at the wind farm will be used to power the 200 MW electrolysis plant on the Tweede Maasvlakte as part of the NortH2 project.