Green hydrogen: Centrica and European Energy team up to power Denmark’s hydrogen hub at Måde
Centrica Energy and European Energy have joined forces on a project that brings a fresh wave of innovation to the Port of Esbjerg – one of Europe’s budding hydrogen hotspots.
Centrica Energy will manage the power flows, through a new balancing and optimisation agreement, from two wind turbines situated at the Måde Wind Turbine Test Center, directing surplus power straight to green hydrogen production.
This will turn valuable energy, that would otherwise be wasted, into energy-dense green hydrogen that can be used to power infrastructure, cars, buses, trucks, homes and businesses.
European green hydrogen production
At the heart of the Måde set-up are two wind turbines, part of European Energy’s advanced 16 MW installation.
From this, 12 MW will directly power the green hydrogen facility, which is expected to produce roughly 1,500 tonnes of hydrogen per year.
This newly-made renewable hydrogen won’t sit around, as European Energy has already secured offtake agreements with Port Esbjerg and a major player in industrial gasses, ensuring it goes straight to where it’s needed most.
But there’s more at play here than just hydrogen production.
As Kristian Gjerløv-Juel, Vice President of Renewable Energy Trading & Optimisation at Centrica, said, this project embodies a “full-court press” approach to the green transition.
“Succeeding with the green transition requires using all the tools at our disposal – including solutions that decarbonise sectors where electrification falls short,” he said.
With over 20 years of expertise in managing Europe’s renewable and flexible assets, Centrica is perfectly positioned to take on this balancing act.
Turning up the heat
Producing hydrogen is a fairly energy-intensive process, which means there’s a good amount of excess heat generated.
Rather than letting this go to waste, the Måde facility will recycle it directly into the local district heating network. How clever is that?
It’s a smart bit of sector coupling that links up renewable power with fuel and heating networks, showing just how interconnected the green energy puzzle pieces are becoming.
European Energy’s EVP and Head of Power-to-X, Emil Vikjær-Andresen, describes this as a step toward real decarbonisation across various sectors, saying: “By integrating wind power with green hydrogen technology at the Måde facility, we’re taking a significant step toward decarbonising key sectors of the economy.
“This agreement with Centrica shows renewable energy’s potential to create truly sustainable fuels.”
