ABS in two JDPs promising new green roles for offshore platforms

Written by Nick Blenkey
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Long a symbol of fossil-fuel production, offshore platforms could gain a new green image as the result of two landmark joint development projects announced on the sidelines of the COP26 conference by ABS, Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering (KSOE).

The JDPs address green hydrogen production and offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS), two technologies that will be critical to achieving net zero.

GREEN HYDROGEN

ABS, HHI and KSOE will jointly develop technical guidance for green hydrogen production from offshore platforms as a key first step to the design and construction of a facility by 2025. The guidance will facilitate the development of production facilities providing a vital contribution in the growth of a global green hydrogen economy.

The project will utilize the electrolysis of seawater to generate green hydrogen. Later stages potentially include ABS Approval in Principle (AIP) and generic design approval, supporting engineering development right through to project construction.

CARBON CAPTURE

A second offshore carbon capture JDP is focused on securing an AIP for HHI and KSOE’s design for a CO2 injection platform for offshore storage. The platform is designed to be able to store 400,000 tons of captured and liquefied CO2 every year from 2025.

The the potential of green hydrogen to support global sustainability ambitions and the capture, utilization and sequestration of carbon are much in focus at COP26.

Green hydrogen is a fuel created using entirely renewable energy sources. Currently, only one percent of hydrogen fuel is produced this way.

“We are pleased to leverage our expertise in the green hydrogen and CCS platform pathway for decarbonization offshore. These projects are part of our continuous endeavors and commitment to a sustainable future that is aligned with HHI Group’s ESG vision, ‘Beyond Blue Forward to Green.’ We also promise that HHI Group will encourage new value creation to lead the market, satisfying customers’ desire for the achievement of GHG zero emissions,” said Won Ho JOO, HHI Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Technical Officer.

“It is a quite meaningful technological milestone in obtaining the JDPs for these innovative green hydrogen and CCS platforms in offshore. KSOE believes our self-developed model will contribute to the global decarbonization effort. Also, we are preparing the development of the whole value chains of both CO2 and green hydrogen. In the near future, we will show the Perfect Net Zero technology,” said Sung Joon KIM, CTO of KSOE.

“Securing the required quantities of zero-carbon fuels to power our industry’s transition will require significant scaling up of the global renewable energy sources. Green hydrogen will certainly have a critical role to play but we are starting from a very low base and increasing production is an urgent global priority. Meanwhile, carbon capture is a potential game changer, and ABS is working to accelerate development of both the technology and the vessels required to make it viable,” said ABS Chairman, President and CEO, Christopher J. Wiernicki. “We are proud to be able to use our industry-leading offshore and sustainability expertise to support advances in these key areas of technology and the international decarbonization drive.”

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