Dolphyn Hydrogen, Celtic Sea Power, ORE Catapult, and Wales & West Utilities have been awarded £887,000 ($1.14 million) from Innovate UK’s Launchpad: Net Zero Industry, Southwest Wales program. This funding, combined with additional support from the Pembroke Dock Marine initiative under the Swansea Bay City Deal, will contribute to the £2.1 million ($2.7 million) Milford Haven: Hydrogen Kingdom (MH) project.
The MH project aims to create a viable framework for linking offshore hydrogen production with onshore distribution. The project will leverage Dolphyn Hydrogen’s technology within the Pembrokeshire Demonstration Zone (PDZ), a 90 km² area in the Celtic Sea off the south coast of Pembrokeshire. Currently designated for wave and tidal testing, this zone is managed by Celtic Sea Power.
Dolphyn Hydrogen plans to update the PDZ’s scope to include green hydrogen production from floating offshore wind (FLOW), with pipeline connections to the shore and subsequent distribution to off-takers. The project is set to demonstrate how FLOW can be expanded beyond electricity generation to include hydrogen production, offering cost-effective transportation of hydrogen over long distances and bypassing electricity grid constraints.
“The consensus is clear: both renewable electricity and low-carbon hydrogen are essential to achieving net-zero targets. FLOW presents a significant opportunity for large-scale generation, particularly in the Celtic Sea region, but the focus has primarily been on electricity so far,” stated Dolphyn Hydrogen. “Our technology extends FLOW’s potential to offshore hydrogen production, which can be transported more cheaply than electricity and without the grid constraints that often limit electrical FLOW projects.”
Through MH and the wider rollout of Dolphyn technology, the project aims to de-risk hydrogen generation and ensure a pre-2030 supply of green hydrogen for early industrial users. It will also provide hydrogen to feed into the proposed Hyline Cymru pipeline, a 130 km hydrogen pipeline across South Wales from Pembroke to Port Talbot. This pipeline is expected to unlock at least 4.5 GW of offshore wind in the Celtic Sea by providing a market route for clean energy and delivering low-carbon hydrogen to hard-to-decarbonize sectors.
Steve Matthews, CEO of Dolphyn Hydrogen, commented, “Low-carbon hydrogen will play a crucial role in the future energy mix for Wales and the UK, enhancing energy security and helping us meet our net-zero goals. The Milford Haven Hydrogen Kingdom project is a pivotal step in demonstrating a viable pathway for producing affordable hydrogen at scale from offshore floating wind. We are proud to be part of a team dedicated to creating a better future.”
This summer, Dolphyn Hydrogen launched offshore trials to test its process, which combines electrolysis, desalination, and hydrogen production on a floating wind platform. These trials marked the first time hydrogen has been produced from seawater in a marine environment in the UK. The insights and data from these trials will inform the design of full-scale Dolphyn units to be deployed at multiple locations in the coming years.
