Aker Offshore Wind, Aker Clean Hydrogen and DNV have unveiled a vision that will see Scotland’s offshore wind resources used to make it a clean energy exporter.
On 4 November, Aker Horizons announced how the Northern Horizons Project, unveiled by its portfolio companies at COP26, is a response to the Scottish government’s ambition to export significant amounts of hydrogen. It will look to harness 10GW of renewable energy in the North Sea and deliver on decarbonisation targets by sending clean products to the mainland and exporting them to fuel heavy or hard-to-abate industries.
The project would be expected to commence production from 2030, delivering predictability for a fit-for-purpose Scottish supply chain, supporting the energy transition towards 2045 and beyond. It would also help to create thousands of jobs and result in the investment of billions of pounds during its construction and operation.
Specifically, the vision is to use floating offshore wind turbines to produce 10GW of energy that can power multiple floating installations to produce green hydrogen for onwards transmission to a net zero hydrogen refinery on Shetland. This refinery will then produce a range of zero carbon energy solutions for local consumption and export across the world. The Aker companies and DNV are now embarking on a consultation project with governments and businesses to mature Northern Horizons to a future investment decision.
