Equinor has set ambitious targets and aim to succeed through developing industrial value chains in emerging markets for both CCS and low carbon hydrogen. We will build on our competitive advantages, using technology and innovation at scale to accelerate growth, improvements, and value creation. Northwest European markets, including The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and France, are a key strategic market where we aim to take an architect role, shaping policy and demand in the short term.
Equinor and Linde are developing the H2M Eemshaven low carbon hydrogen project in the Netherlands as partners.
H2M Eemshaven primarily focuses on serving potential large industry customers in the Netherlands and in Germany. The aim is to build a facility in the Eemshaven industrial area to reform natural gas from Norway to low-carbon hydrogen with CO2 capture and storage (CCS). More than 95 percent of the CO2 will be captured and stored safely and permanently under the seabed offshore Norway.
In January 2024 a project development agreement was signed between Equinor and Linde. As Equity partner and operator, Linde will build and operate the hydrogen production and carbon capture and transfer facility, with Equinor resources closely integrated. Equinor will be responsible for marketing of the hydrogen and transporting and storing the CO2.
H2M Eemshaven will help both the Netherlands and Germany to reduce their CO2 emissions with a significant contribution to meet the climate targets while keeping security of energy supply. In addition, it will support the development of the hydrogen value chain with large and reliable hydrogen volumes. Industries that could benefit from such a supply are typically steel production, chemical industries, and power production. The hydrogen plant will be connected to onshore hydrogen pipelines planned in both the Netherlands and Germany.
The project is planning for a production capacity of 1 GW (210,000 tons decarbonised hydrogen), aiming for production start-up in 2029.
With H2BE, ENGIE and Equinor aim to develop the production of low-carbon hydrogen from natural gas in Belgium. Both companies are jointly exploring the market potential for the large-scale production of hydrogen from natural gas using the auto-thermal reforming (ATR) technology combined with carbon capture and storage (CCS).
By providing access to competitively priced low-carbon hydrogen, Belgian industry can withstand its position in a global climate-neutral economy.
H2BE actively contributes to the structural advancement of domestically produced low-carbon hydrogen by ensuring investments in local infrastructure. Locally produced low carbon hydrogen from natural gas will be required to convert end-users to hydrogen and secure baseload requirements for infrastructure development. It will also enable local industry to decarbonise in a timely and affordable manner.
The 1 GW low-carbon hydrogen facility will be capable of producing 200 kilotons annually. The ATR technology allows for decarbonization rates above 95% and for producing hydrogen at large scale at competitive cost levels.
A key aspect of its strategy involves transporting and storing the captured CO2 in Norway. Engaged off takers include ArcelorMittal and INEOS, highlighting its industrial relevance and importance for decarbonization and innovation in key sectors.
A CO2 terminal in Ghent and an offshore CO2 pipeline from Zeebrugge onwards to the Norwegian continental shelf is the CO2 transport and storage solution being considered.
The partners aim for start-up production within 2030.
Together with the German gas group VNG AG, Equinor announced in summer 2022 to expand its existing collaboration in the gas sector to include the new areas of low-CO2 hydrogen and the capture, utilization and offshore storage of CO2 (CCU and CCS).
In addition, Equinor and VNG want to carry out a joint project to evaluate options to produce low-CO2 hydrogen in Rostock. To this end, technologies for the capture and utilization of CO2 and for the transport and safe offshore storage of the gas are to be used on an industrial scale.
The most important project elements are the planning, construction and operation of a gigawatt-scale plant in Rostock with an annual hydrogen production capacity of up to 211,000 tonnes, including the reduction of the carbon footprint of low-carbon hydrogen by more than 95 percent compared to hydrogen without carbon capture and storage, and the capture and liquefaction of almost 2 million tonnes of CO2 per year from hydrogen production and its shipment from Rostock to permanent and safe offshore storage in Norway. The project also includes the establishment of a CO2 export and an interim CO2 storage facility in the Rostock harbour.
The project will form the basis for a hydrogen and CO2 hub in the Rostock area through development and conversion of up to 400 kilometers of pipeline for hydrogen between Rostock, Berlin and the industrial clusters in the Leipzig area. Ultimately connection to the national hydrogen network; will ensure flexibility and security of supply. This can lead to emission reductions by millions of tons per year compared to the current use of fossil fuel, and provide a base load supply of large quantities of low-CO2 hydrogen to bridge and supplement the increasing supply of hydrogen from renewable energies.
