Vattenfall Scraps Hydrogen Turbine Pilot Project

Business development

March 14, 2024, by Adnan Memija

Vattenfall has decided to cancel the Hydrogen Turbine 1 (HT1) project offshore Aberdeen, Scotland, almost two years after the firm began developing it. However, the project helped enable the creation of a regulatory and consenting regime for offshore hydrogen transportation and storage in the UK, according to the Swedish company.

The HT1 project was designed around Vattenfall’s 97 MW Aberdeen offshore wind farm, also known as the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC).

The Hydrogen Turbine 1 (HT1) project was said to bring the world its first hydrogen-producing offshore wind turbine as it involved placing an electrolyser directly onto one of the eleven 8.8 MW operational turbines at Vattenfall’s offshore wind farm. The hydrogen at sea would be piped to shore at Aberdeen Harbor.

According to our previous news, HT1 would be able to produce enough hydrogen every day to power a hydrogen bus to travel 24,000 kilometres.

The developer planned to construct facilities including a pipeline and other specialist infrastructure next year, ahead of the first operation in 2025.

Part of the HT1 project was funded by the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) through the Low Carbon Hydrogen Supply 2 funding programme.

Having tested the development phase for decentralised offshore hydrogen production, and in light of other industry advances, Vattenfall has now taken the decision to conclude the project, the company said.

The findings are planned to be presented later in 2024.

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According to Vattenfall, HT1 aided the creation of a new regulatory and consenting regime by the UK Government for offshore hydrogen transportation and storage which was one of the goals of the project.

It clarifies the roles and responsibilities of interlinking regulators, which is said to be crucial to the development of the future renewable hydrogen market in the UK.

“Vattenfall is immensely proud that the HT1 Project has led to the creation of the new consenting regime for future offshore hydrogen production, transportation and storage in the UK.  The technological and environmental progress we have made will also enable further advances by the industry towards the creation of a thriving offshore hydrogen production market,” said Lisa Christie, Country Manager for Vattenfall in the UK.