Floating wind-to-hydrogen project planned for the UK

Posted on 29 March 2022

​Environmental Resource Management (ERM) Dolphyn and Source Energie have confirmed a partnership to develop new projects to combine floating wind and green hydrogen production in the Celtic Sea, intending to participate in the Crown Estate’s planned floating wind leasing round. 

Source Energie has been working extensively to determine medium and long term sites for developing floating offshore wind before partnering with ERM Dolphyn. 

The first site due for development is located approximately 60 kilometres off the Pembrokeshire coast, west of Milford Haven, and has a target deployment date of 2027/28. The partnering businesses explain that the proposed site, called “Dylan” is in an ideal location and provides good energy-generating conditions, strong expansion potential and consists of several viable low-impact pipeline options to existing and increasing hydrogen demand areas.

A continued expansion could generate over 2GW of energy, providing enough hydrogen to make a significant impact on both local and national decarbonisation targets, according to Source Energie and ERM. ERM Dolphyn is a technology created by ERM combining electrolysis, desalination and hydrogen production on a floating wind platform.

Last year, ERM Dolphyn signed a memorandum of understanding with Simply Blue Energy and Subsea 7 for the potential use of ERM Dolphyn hydrogen services on the 200 MW Salamander floating wind project.

The opportunity in the Celtic Sea, referred to as Project Dylan, is supported by the Welsh Government Smart Living Initiative as a part of its focus on creating a national hydrogen economy. It also follows the goals within the Wales Hydrogen Pathway for driving demand and increasing green hydrogen production.

In the Celtic Sea, the Crown Estate intends to unlock more than 4 GW of new floating wind capacity in England and Wales via specific leasing round and is currently performing a consultation process. 

Source Energie is developing 5GW of offshore wind, solar and storage projects within Ireland and the UK. The team developed over 15GW of wind and solar projects worldwide, including 5GW of offshore wind sites in the UK and Irish waters.

Their management team consists of co-founders and former managers at Mainstream Renewable Energy and Amarenco Renewable Energy.

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