UK’s first offshore hydrogen production testing is a go

ERM and Dolphyn Hydrogen bring offshore H2 production trials to South Wales.

ERM, the largest sustainability consultancy specialist in the world, has launched offshore hydrogen production trials in South Wales – the first ever in the UK – for the purpose of testing key elements of its groundbreaking Dolphyn Hydrogen process.

A groundbreaking H2 generation process.

The trials, which are taking place in a floating marine environment in Pembroke Port, South Wales, employ the Dolphyn hydrogen process. This process combines electrolysis, desalination and hydrogen production on a floating wind platform.  

The hydrogen that is produced is transported to shore through a pipeline. The goal is to use this hydrogen directly for power generation, industrial purposes, transport and heating.

What makes the process so innovative is that no electrical connection is needed. Dolphyn Hydrogen delivers a pathway to low-carbon energy production without grid constraints or consuming energy from other renewables sources.

The offshore hydrogen production trials market an important step forward.

The offshore hydrogen production trials follow six years of developing the Dolphyn Hydrogen process. This process has received support from the UK Government’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, via the Low Carbon Hydrogen Supply 2 Competition. To date, Dolphyn Hydrogen has been awarded more than £8 million ($10.24 million) in funding and championed by devolved Governments in Scotland and Wales.

The trials represent a significant step toward enabling the UK to generate low-carbon hydrogen at scale, reliably and safely.

Commenting about the Dolphyn Hydrogen trials in a recent news release, Dolphyn Hydrogen CEO Steve Matthews said that the trials “mark an important milestone” in the company’s journey to deploy “affordable, low-carbon hydrogen at scale that will help to deliver a more sustainable future for all.”

A first-of-its kind “digital twin”.

Dolphyn Hydrogen has brought together local and international suppliers with expertise in both the renewable and hydrogen production industries. What’s more, to speed up learning and deployment, the team has used ERM’s emissions.AI., incorporating a first-of-its-kind digital twin. This is a SaaS (software as a service) solution that aids operations teams to minimize emissions while at the same time optimizing the energy efficiency of their facilities.