The Gigastack and Dolphyn projects, both of which were offshore wind-to-hydrogen, have withdrawn from the UK’s first electrolytic allocation round (HAR1).
As reported by offshoreWIND.biz, Phillips 66 and Ørsted announced jointly that they had withdrawn their bid from the funding process and will be pausing the Gigastack project. Explaining why, the pair said that they believe further project maturation, together with supply chain development, is needed to unlock the maximum potential of Gigastack.
Entering the allocation round with Gigastack Phase 2, the project would have seen a 100MW electrolyser system using renewable energy from the Hornsea Two offshore windfarm to make green hydrogen. This would then have been transported to the Phillips 66 Humber Refinery.
The pair expressed pride at the work done to date, which has included how to accelerate the deployment of green hydrogen, demonstrating both its potential to integrate with offshore wind, and using it to refuel critical national infrastructure. They will continue working with the governments of the UK, industry and stakeholders to “help realise the enormous potential of green hydrogen”.
Elsewhere, Environmental Resources Management (ERM) has also withdrawn its offshore wind-to-hydrogen project from HAR1. Dolphyn would have blended electrolysis, desalination and hydrogen production on a floating wind platform. It had initially applied with a single-unit Dolpyhn demonstrator but is withdrawing so it can seek alternative funding for a phased, multi-unit development.
Seeking to advance the demonstrator within a “larger commercial scale project”, Dolphyn Hydrogen – the company created by ERM to commercialise the demonstrator – explained that they will be “moving the location of the demonstrator to a site that will allow expansion at a single location” to drive this accelerated approach to things.
