KBR to design storage, H2 hub for Hollandse Kust Noord

December 7 (Renewables Now) - US construction and engineering group KBR Inc (NYSE:KBR) has been picked for the front-end engineering design of energy storage and hydrogen production facilities within the Hollandse Kust Noord offshore wind project in Dutch waters.

The engineering services contract was awarded by CrossWind, a joint venture (JV) between Shell plc (LON:SHEL) and Dutch utility Eneco, KBR said on Monday.

The baseload power hub for the 759-MW offshore wind project, which entered construction in October, will consist of energy storage systems deploying lithium-ion battery technologies and electrolysers for the megawatt-scale production of green hydrogen. KBR said it will conduct the design jointly with Shell.

Under the plan, the production of hydrogen and energy storage capacity will be utilised when the wind farm’s output is high. The hydrogen will be converted into electricity via a fuel cell in periods when the generation is lower.

Hollandse Kust Noord is expected to be able to generate at least 3.3 TWh of electricity per year, or enough to meet the annual power needs of over 1 million local homes. The huge complex off the coast of North Holland province will be powered by 69 Siemens Gamesa turbines and is due to go online by end-2023.