RWE to support the UK’s Hydrogen Strategy
Published by Bella Weetch,
Editorial Assistant
Energy Global,
RWE, one of the globally leading companies in renewables and one of the key players in setting up the hydrogen economy, has welcomed the publication of the UK Hydrogen Strategy. This strategy and launch of consultations is a huge step forward and RWE encourages the Government to set even more ambitious targets to facilitate the UK’s hydrogen economy. The company is thoroughly analysing the proposals and will be responding to the accompanying consultations in due course.
Hydrogen will be key to the decarbonisation pathway and as a partner to industry, RWE is part of that solution. As a UK leader in power generation, the company is perfectly positioned to support the development of the UK hydrogen economy. Thanks to its large renewable power portfolio, it can supply a considerable amount of zero-carbon energy to produce green hydrogen. Furthermore, the company’s own gas-fired power stations are a potential off-taker for hydrogen, while it can provide expertise in gas storage facilities and supply to industrial customers.
Tom Glover, RWE UK Country Chair, said: “RWE is a driver of the energy transition, about 90% of our capital investment is in green technology including renewables and storage. We know that hydrogen will be key to cracking zero carbon emissions across industrial processes, and RWE is committed to playing a full part in the delivery of this emerging technology and at the same time creating skilled green jobs.”
The company is at the forefront of green innovation, having played a significant role in shaping the UK offshore wind industry by building one of the country’s first offshore wind farms (Blyth demonstrator, 2002); and one of the first commercial scale offshore wind farms (North Hoyle 2004). A dedicated team at RWE of around 250 people is working on developing hydrogen projects, contributing to the UK and EU hydrogen ambitions. Together with prominent partners from industry and the scientific community, the company is forging ahead with the development of 30 hydrogen projects along the entire value chain.
In the UK, RWE has partnered with industry to move towards the use of hydrogen in industrial processes in the South Wales Industrial Cluster (SWIC). Through its Pembroke Net Zero Centre (PNZC) initiative, it is investigating the feasibility of green hydrogen production located at the Pembroke Power Station site, in addition to the potential for consuming hydrogen in the power station. In the longer term, there is also the opportunity to produce gigawatts of green hydrogen connected to offshore floating wind in the Celtic Sea.
The UK plays a key role in RWE’s strategy to grow its renewables portfolio and to become climate neutral by 2040. The company is currently constructing the 857 MW offshore wind farm Triton Knoll (RWE’s pro-rata share: 506 MW) off the Lincolnshire coast which is expected to be fully commissioned in 1Q2022. It is also constructing the 1.4 GW Sofia offshore wind project on Dogger Bank. This will enlarge the company’s UK portfolio of nine offshore wind farms. It is also progressing four extension projects in the UK, with a combined potential installed capacity of around 2.6 GW (RWE’s pro-rata share: 1.3 GW). Furthermore, the company successfully bid for two new adjacent offshore sites – also on Dogger Bank – with a potential total installed capacity of 3 GW in The Crown Estate’s Offshore Wind Round 4 Leasing auction.
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Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/other-renewables/18082021/rwe-to-support-the-uks-hydrogen-strategy/
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