Leading the Hollandse Kust Noord (HKN) offshore wind project, CrossWind - a joint venture of Shell and Eneco - has successfully completed the construction of its Base Load Power Hub (BLPH). Incorporating fuel cell technology from Ballard, the BLPH is the world’s first hydrogen production and storage platform designed for offshore conditions.
Located off the coast of the Netherlands, HKN will have a capacity of 759MW to generate at least 3.3 terawatt-hours (TWh) per year. This is enough renewable power to supply the equivalent of more than 1 million Dutch households with green electricity.
As energy providers ramp up the capacity of renewable resources such as wind and solar, the BLPH is a significant milestone in offshore energy infrastructure, addressing one of the most pressing constraints of renewable energy - intermittency. This first-of-its kind facility for hydrogen production, storage, and conversion back to electricity integrates a Ballard fuel cell power system with peak power capacity of 1MW, consisting of six FCwave™ modules including power conditioning and cooling systems.
Once final commissioning at the Rosetti Marino Group yard in Italy is complete, the BLPH will be transported to Eemshaven in the Netherlands by ship. The platform is expected to be set up in Eemshaven this summer and ownership will then be transferred to offshore innovation company DOT. In collaboration with Groningen Seaports and TNO, the platform will support ongoing research into offshore hydrogen production and grid stabilization strategies.
One of CrossWind’s primary objectives in the HKN project is to gain operational experience in designing and constructing a platform capable of stabilizing the electricity production of wind farms.
The BLPH is configured to perform peak shaving - absorbing excess wind energy when generation exceeds demand and releasing stored energy during low-wind periods. The hybrid storage configuration enables flexibility on the scale of hours to days and includes both a battery system and a hydrogen round-trip system that facilitates in-situ hydrogen production, storage, and reconversion to power.
CrossWind will specifically focus on piloting the complete offshore hydrogen value chain, reflecting the potential of a future offshore baseload wind power hub. The goal is to demonstrate, using a single full-scale wind turbine, energy-shifting solutions that can balance supply by shifting output from high-wind periods to times of lower wind availability.