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Green hydrogen - the future of the energy transition
ONP Management GmbH provides technical and commercial project management for hydrogen projects at sea
ONP Management GmbH is one of four shareholders of NorthH2 Projektgesellschaft (NorthH2), which has set itself the task of project planning and developing plants for the production of green hydrogen on the high seas. In the future, green hydrogen is to serve as a sustainable energy source and contribute to the decarbonization of various industries.
After two years of internal feasibility studies, NorthH2 was founded at the beginning of 2022 with the aim of developing and implementing offshore electrolysis projects in the North Sea, and later worldwide. In addition to electricity generation by offshore wind turbines, a scalable platform concept has been developed, which, in addition to modern proton exchange membrane electrolysis (PEM), also includes the necessary process and plant technology for the environmentally friendly desalination of seawater and for the intermediate storage or feeding of hydrogen into the hydrogen core network.
The scope of work of ONP
- Responsible for technical and commercial project management
- Coordination of tasks between the project partners
- Responsible for the development of offshore wind farms
- Development of cost calculation, business case & financial model
Compared to onshore production, offshore hydrogen generation offers considerable benefits:
- Omitting electrical-grid-congestion onshore and reducing power curtailment offshore
- Direct use of offshore wind energy without power grid losses
- Reduced grid fees through direct injection into pipelines
- Lower land use and conservation of groundwater and drinking water resources
- Scalability through large production capacities in the North Sea
In the long term, offshore hydrogen could help reduce hydrogen prices and enable an independent energy supply.
10MW demonstration project in an existing offshore wind farm
In a groundbreaking step for the ramp-up of the offshore hydrogen economy in Germany, NorthH2, together with some partners such as the OFFSHORE-WINDENERGIE Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding in November 2024 to work together on the construction of a 10MW offshore electrolysis demonstrator at an existing wind farm.
The overall objective of the research and demonstration project is to demonstrate the feasibility and efficiency of hydrogen production directly at sea and to test the required components. The power supply available in the wind farm will supply the PEM electrolyser with electricity.
The seawater is first desalinated using the waste heat generated during electrolysis and then split into hydrogen and oxygen in the electrolyser. The hydrogen is then stored; during wind lulls, the reconversion into electricity is then to be tested.
The aim of this project is to gain important insights and gather essential operational data that will enable offshore electrolysers to be operated commercially at sea in the future. Additionally, scaling from the demonstrator project to an industrial scale for commercial projects is an essential outcome of the demonstration project.
Offshore-H2-Projektpipeline
The demonstration project is part of the "NORTHSEA HYDROGEN" (Home - Northsea Hydrogen – Offshore Farm) project pipeline developed by NorthH2 and marks a significant step towards sustainable hydrogen production.
An important part of the project is to provide a platform for industrial partners and research, as well as accompanying ecological research, to test and optimize systems and components under real offshore conditions. The project development and implementation should also offer the authorities involved the opportunity to establish the necessary regulatory framework for specifications and approval of offshore electrolysis projects.
For ONP, this commitment signifies our continued involvement in developing innovative key technologies for a more sustainable and climate-friendly energy future. We warmly welcome anyone who wishes to join and support us on this pioneering journey.