DNV to study safety implications of world-first offshore green hydrogen production facility
DNV’s experts will undertake workshops and technical sessions to identify and analyze the main environmental, safety, and operational risks associated with the project.
DNV, the independent energy expert and assurance provider, will lead the process safety study to identify the main environmental, safety and operational risks for the world's first offshore hydrogen production facilities.
Lhyfe, a producer and supplier of green and renewable hydrogen for transport and industry, and Centrale Nantes, is a French School of engineering and research centre, and manages SEM-REV offshore test site.
Lhyfe and Centrale Nantes’ ambitious goal is to make offshore renewable hydrogen a reality, by demonstrating the reliability of an offshore electrolyser. It represents a world-first at a time when initiatives for offshore green hydrogen production are emerging across Europe.
Located off the coast of Le Croisic, France, the green hydrogen-generating system is intended to be powered by electricity from a floating wind turbine, with a target start-up date in 2022.
As part of the design of the new facility, DNV’s experts will undertake workshops and technical sessions to identify and analyse the main environmental, safety and operational risks associated with the project.
Santiago Blanco, Executive Vice-President and Regional Director Southern Europe, MEA and LATAM, Energy Systems at DNV says “This is potentially a watershed project, one we are excited to be supporting during the FEED stage. Proving the safety of such activities, particularly with new technologies, to gain acceptance and move them closer to adoption, is vital for the industry and stakeholders.”
“Working with Lhyfe and Centrale Nantes to further their ambitions is something we are pleased to announce, as we believe green hydrogen at-scale is the ultimate destination for the future of energy storage.”
Risks which will be investigated by DNV include the floating barge, fuel cells and hydrogen production. A regulations and standards review will also be included as part of the study.
The offshore electrolyser will be installed on GEPS Techno's floating platform and connected to the various sources of Marine Renewable Energy (MRE) available on the offshore test site, including the Floatgen floating wind turbine. This unique production process only emits oxygen, no CO2 during the operation. Centrale Nantes is also making its research facilities available and providing support for the various regulatory, experimental and logistical phases to ensure a successful outcome.
Hydrogen is a unique energy carrier with no carbon emissions that can be used for long-term storage and heating applications. By using electricity generated from renewable sources such as wind, the resulting energy carrier is carbon-free ‘green’ hydrogen. The economically viable use of green hydrogen becomes feasible due to the increasing penetration of wind and solar power in the years to come.
About Lhyfe
Lhyfe was founded in Nantes in 2017 and is a producer and supplier of green and renewable hydrogen for transport and industry. Its production sites provide access to renewable hydrogen in industrial quantities, and give rise to a virtuous energy model geared towards environmental benefits. Lhyfe will soon have around 40 employees and is a member of France Hydrogène and Hydrogen Europe. It raised €20 million in financing between 2019 and 2020 and laid the foundation stone for its first green hydrogen production site on 26 September 2020.
https://lhyfe.com/
About Centrale Nantes
Founded in 1919, Centrale Nantes is a French engineering school and member of the Ecoles Centrale Group. The school boasts excellent rankings: top ten for academic excellence (Le Figaro), 4th engineering school in France in 2021 (L'Etudiant), and top 200 worldwide for engineering (Times Higher Education). Its undergraduate, Master and PhD programmes are based on the latest scientific and technological developments and the best management practices. With strong international outreach, 43% of its student body are international students, representing more than 87 nationalities. Partnership agreements are in place with 178 universities in 48 countries and two-thirds of students follow a double degree programme abroad. At Centrale Nantes, research and training are organised into three key areas for growth and innovation: manufacturing, energy transition and healthcare. With research platforms ranging from digital simulation to prototyping with full‑scale models, and a joint incubator which has 20 years of experience in supporting start-up projects, the school has two major tools for innovation and creation, working hand-in-hand with industry. Through a proactive approach of collaborative research between laboratories and industry, Centrale Nantes is developing initiatives for the creation of international chairs, of which there are 15 to date.
For more information, visit www.ec-nantes.fr / Media Library: https://phototheque.ec-nantes.fr/ / @CentraleNantes