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Renewable hydrogen collaboration for Ørsted and BP
The project will comprise a 50 MW electrolyser system capable of generating one tonne of hydrogen per hour, or approximately 9,000 tonnes a year. This is sufficient to replace around 20% of the refinery’s current ‘grey’ hydrogen consumption, preventing around 80,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions a year.
When it’s driven by renewable power, the process of electrolysis splits water into hydrogen and oxygen without generating any CO2 emissions. However, much of the hydrogen used in industry today is produced via the carbon-intensive steam reforming of methane.
‘Heavy industries such as refineries use large quantities of hydrogen in their manufacturing processes,’ says Martin Neubert, Executive Vice President for Ørsted. ‘They will continue to need hydrogen, but replacing the currently fossil-based hydrogen with hydrogen produced from renewable energy can help these industries dramatically lower their CO2 footprint.’
In September, BP inked a $1bn offshore wind deal – its first in the sector – when it agreed to buy a 50% share in two US projects owned by Norway’s Equinor. It is also leading a consortium of energy companies to build carbon capture and storage infrastructure under the UK North Sea.
