TotalEnergies buys into RWE’s Dutch offshore wind farm to supply inexperienced hydrogen

RWE and TotalEnergies have entered into an settlement underneath which TotalEnergies will purchase a 50% stake in RWE’s OranjeWind offshore wind farm within the Netherlands. TotalEnergies stated it might use its share of the electrical energy from the 795 MW OranjeWind to supply inexperienced hydrogen. The brand new companions have now additionally taken the ultimate funding determination (FID) on the mission.

With half of the era capability of the 759 MW offshore wind farm, TotalEnergies plans to energy 350 MW electrolyzer tasks that can produce about 40,000 tons of inexperienced hydrogen yearly, which the corporate will use to decarbonize its refineries in Northern Europe.

The transfer falls inside TotalEnergies’ aim of decarbonizing its European refineries’ hydrogen and chopping its CO2 emissions by round 5 million tonnes per yr by 2030. The manufacturing of inexperienced hydrogen through electrolysis utilizing OranjeWind electrical energy will substitute the hydrogen at the moment consumed in TotalEnergies’ refineries and can keep away from the emission of roughly 400,000 tons of CO2 per yr, in response to TotalEnergies’ press launch from 24 July.

RWE and its new associate have additionally taken the funding determination to construct the 759 MW mission, for which suppliers for the primary parts have already been chosen.

The OranjeWind offshore wind farm will comprise 53 Vestas V236-15 MW wind generators put in on monopile foundations that will probably be produced by Sif. The foundations and wind generators will probably be put in by Jan De Nul utilizing its floating heavy carry vessel Les Alizés and jack-up set up vessel Voltaire. TKF will provide the inter-array cables for the mission.

Offshore development on the OranjeWind website, situated roughly 53 kilometers from IJmuiden on the Dutch coast, is scheduled to start out in 2026, with full commissioning anticipated in early 2028. 

“The Netherlands is certainly one of our strategic core markets to develop our inexperienced portfolio. In TotalEnergies I’m delighted to have a robust associate at our facet with whom we are able to realise our first offshore wind mission within the Netherlands and on the similar time unlock the complete system integration of OranjeWind. Collectively, we are going to present a blueprint for the Dutch vitality system of the long run, designed to sort out the challenges of intermittent wind era and versatile vitality demand,” stated Sven Utermöhlen, CEO of RWE Offshore Wind.

RWE secured the event and development of OranjeWind in November 2022, when the corporate gained the proper to construct and function a subsidy-free offshore wind farm on the Hollandse Kust West (HKW) VII website. TotalEnergies additionally positioned bids for HKW Website VI and HKW Website VII that have been provided within the 2022 Dutch tender. HKW Website VI was awarded to Shell and Eneco.

The OranjeWind at HKW Website VII offshore wind farm is the primary system integration mission of this sort within the Netherlands, with the requirement for combining vitality programs set by the Dutch authorities within the tender itself.

The Germany-based developer introduced, instantly after being awarded the mission website, that its first Dutch offshore wind farm would come with inexperienced hydrogen manufacturing and floating photo voltaic, in addition to different versatile demand options resembling e-boilers and battery storage.

In a press launch about its new three way partnership with TotalEnergies, RWE stated every associate would ship their allotted a part of system integration options, together with electrolysers, good charging options for electrical autos, e-boilers for heating, and battery storage.

Inside the newly created three way partnership, RWE will lead the event, development and operation of the OranjeWind offshore wind farm on behalf of the 2 companions.