TotalEnergies signed agreements with German renewable developer RWE to acquire a 50% stake in OranjeWind, a 795 MW offshore wind farm under development in the Netherlands, according to a news release.
TotalEnergies will dedicate its share of the renewable electricity production from this project to power 350 MW electrolyzer projects. These will produce about 40,000 tons per year of green hydrogen for the decarbonization of TotalEnergies’ refineries in Northern Europe.
TotalEnergies plans to decarbonize its European refineries’ hydrogen and cut its CO₂ emissions by around 5 million tons per year by 2030. In this context, the Company intends to allocate its share in OranjeWind to produce electricity to generate green hydrogen via electrolysis. The production of this green or low-carbon hydrogen, which will replace the hydrogen currently consumed in TotalEnergies’ refineries, will avoid the emission of approximately 400,000 tons of CO₂ per year.
The project is a new milestone towards TotalEnergies’ goal of a 40% reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions linked directly to its oil and gas operations (Scope 1 and 2) by 2030, compared to the 2015 baseline, according to the release.
Located in the North Sea, about 53 km off the Dutch coast, the OranjeWind project was won by RWE in 2022 as part of the Dutch Hollandse Kust West VII tender. RWE then committed to developing electrolyzers, to which TotalEnergies will now also contribute.
In addition to producing green power and hydrogen, OranjeWind will also support the stability of the Dutch grid with its electric boilers and battery storage. Construction of the wind farm is scheduled to start in 2026, with full commissioning expected in early 2028.
“We are delighted to working with RWE, a major player in renewables, on a project that will enable us to develop production of green hydrogen, which we need to decarbonize our refineries in northern Europe. This integrated, innovative project perfectly illustrates our pioneering role in the energy transition in Europe, especially through the emergence of offshore wind power linked to green hydrogen electrolyzers in the Netherlands,” said Stephane Michel, President Gaz Renewables & Power and Bernard Pinatel, President, Refining & Chemicals, TotalEnergies.
“The Netherlands is one of our strategic core markets to grow our green portfolio. In TotalEnergies I am delighted to have a strong partner at our side with whom we can realize our first offshore wind project in the Netherlands and at the same time unlock the full system integration of OranjeWind. Together, we will provide a blueprint for the Dutch energy system of the future, designed to tackle the challenges of intermittent wind generation and flexible energy demand. As key players in the Dutch energy market, we are both committed to helping the Netherlands meet its decarbonization targets,” said Sven Utermöhlen, CEO RWE Offshore Wind.
