BW Ideol and Centrale Nantes welcome the launch of the world’s first offshore hydrogen production unit which will be powered by BW Ideol’s landmark floating offshore wind turbine operating successfully off France’s west coast since 2018.
This pioneering clean hydrogen project is led by Lhyfe, a leading producer and supplier of green hydrogen for mobility and industry.
The « Sealhyfe » hydrogen production facility will be, after a phase of dockside tests, connected to BW Ideol’s floating wind unit anchored and operating at the Ecole Centrale de Nantes’ SEM-REV site for the last 4 years. This offshore pilot site meets all the necessary conditions to validate the offshore hydrogen production technology before large-scale industrial deployment, aiming first and foremost at demonstrating the reliability of an electrolyser at sea.
“Lhyfe’s project is an important and much needed step towards the development of integrated and autonomous renewable power production systems, using floating wind and green hydrogen in this specific instance. Developing such solutions is essential to accelerate the energy transition,” said Paul de la Guérivière, the CEO of BW Ideol. “Being the floating wind asset owner and being responsible for the day-to-day operations and maintenance of the asset, we look forward to studying all aspects of the interaction between the wind turbine and the hydrogen production system. This added return on experience will further contribute to BW Ideol’s unique preparedness for the development and execution of future commercial-scale deployments.”
“This exceptional demonstrator, tested on the SEM-REV offshore test site, associates Centrale Nantes with a strong ambition: to make offshore renewable hydrogen a reality. This world premiere is a source of great pride for the school” announces Jean-Baptiste Avrillier, director of Centrale Nantes. “This ambitious project confirms the role of our SEM-REV site in accelerating the development of renewable marine energies and the active contribution of the school to meet the challenges of energy transition”