Vitality large Equinor mentioned it is not going to export blue hydrogen from Norway to Germany as a consequence of economics and a scarcity of demand.
Equinor on September 20 mentioned it might discontinue a venture that may have provided German gas-fired energy vegetation with blue hydrogen through the world’s first offshore hydrogen pipeline. Blue hydrogen is a gasoline made with pure gasoline via a course of that captures and shops carbon dioxide (CO2) as a byproduct.
“The hydrogen pipeline hasn’t proved to be viable. That additionally implies that hydrogen manufacturing plans are additionally put apart,” Equinor spokesperson Magnus Frantzen Eidsvold informed the Reuters information service. “We have now determined to discontinue this early-phase venture.”
Eidsvold did say Equinor will proceed different hydrogen tasks which are of their early levels, together with methods within the Netherlands and the UK.
German power firm RWE in January 2023 signed a memorandum of understanding with Equinor to assist the hydrogen provide, which might have offered feedstock for hydrogen-ready gas-fired amenities in Germany. These energy vegetation would assist exchange energy era as Germany phases out coal-fired energy.
RWE has mentioned the pipeline was not its venture, however relatively a method requiring assist from each Norway and Germany.
Eidsvold mentioned plans to assist construct hydrogen-ready gas-fired energy vegetation in Germany together with RWE will proceed, however the hydrogen is not going to be imported from Norway. RWE has mentioned hydrogen-ready gasoline energy vegetation may very well be on-line as quickly as 2030 if German officers assist building.
‘Tens of Billion Euros’
Equinor CEO Anders Opedal final yr had mentioned the price to construct the hydrogen provide chain from Norway may very well be as a lot as “tens of billion euros.” Officers had mentioned the pipeline price by itself could be about 3 billion euros ($3.35 billion).
Eidsvold mentioned Equinor wants extra long-term commitments from patrons throughout Europe to assist hydrogen export tasks. “We’re not capable of make this type of investments once we don’t have long-term agreements and the markets in place,” Eidsvold informed Reuters.
A German economic system ministry official on Saturday informed Reuters there’s now a plan to make use of Norwegian gasoline to supply blue hydrogen within the Netherlands, and ship captured CO2 again to Norway for storage.
—Darrell Proctor is senior editor for POWER (@POWERmagazine).
