Following news on 16 November that Neptune Energy Saipem, Ramboll, and Heerema Marine Contractors had joined the AquaVentus project, reported by OffshoreWIND.biz, Neptune Energy clarified that the new members are joining the membership network of the AquaVentus initiative and not the project itself.
Namely, the membership network, has been set up to facilitate knowledge sharing, while the AquaVentus project, together with its several sub-projects, is being developed by project partners.
The network, called the AquaVentus Friends’ Association, now gathers 79 companies, research institutions and organizations, which are bringing in their knowledge, expertise, and know-how.
As reported earlier, Equinor, which joined the membership network earlier this year, signed a declaration of intent with project partners RWE, Shell, Gasunie this summer to further intensify collaboration on the AquaSector sub-project , the first large-scale German offshore hydrogen park.
When it comes to the AquaVentus development itself, this massive project revolves around green hydrogen production powered by 10 GW of offshore wind from the North Sea and comprises numerous sub-projects along the value chain from the offshore production of hydrogen to transport to customers on the mainland.
The projects include the development of offshore wind farms with integrated hydrogen generation (AquaPrimus), a large-scale offshore hydrogen park (AquaSector), a central supply pipeline (AquaDuctus), port infrastructures (AquaPortus), a research platform (AquaCampus), and hydrogen-based maritime applications (AquaNavis).
Earlier this year, offshore wind developers Ørsted and WindMW, and the offshore construction company Boskalis also entered the AquaVentus membership network, as well as new members from outside of Europe , including the Japanese utility J-Power and the Japanese-Swiss joint venture Hitachi ABB Power, and the US offshore engineering and construction services player McDermott.