Inauguration of the Sealhyfe hydrogen production platform, prior to its installation on the SEM-REV site
on September 26, 2022
The platform will, after a phase of quayside tests, be powered by BW Ideol’s floating wind turbine, itself tested on the offshore site for the last four years. SEM-REV meets all the necessary conditions to validate the technology of hydrogen production at sea.
This exceptional demonstrator, tested on the SEM-REV offshore test site, connects Centrale Nantes to a meaningful ambition: making offshore renewable hydrogen a reality. This world first is a source of great pride for the school. This ambitious project confirms the role of our SEM-REV site in stepping up the development of marine renewable energies and the active contribution of the school to meeting the challenges of energy transition. - Jean-Baptiste Avrillier, Director of Centrale Nantes.
Lhyfe will be able to produce the first kilograms of renewable green hydrogen at sea, operating automatically, in the most extreme conditions. […] we once again wanted to take up a major technological challenge, to prove – by producing hydrogen at sea for the first time – that this is possible as of today. By paving the way for mass production of renewable hydrogen at sea, Sealhyfe is fully aligned with the EU strategy to deploy an offshore hydrogen sector, and aims to help build the energy sovereignty of countries. - Matthieu Guesné, CEO and founder of Lhyfe. (LHYFE Press release)
The production platform will be powered by renewable energy produced directly on the SEM-REV test site and thus currently by the floating wind turbine FLOATGEN, developed by BW Ideol. As the owner of the floating wind turbine and responsible for its day-to-day operations and maintenance, we look forward to studying all aspects of the interaction between the wind turbine and the hydrogen production system. This additional feedback will further ready BW Ideol for the development and execution of future commercial-scale projects. - Paul de la Guérivière, CEO of BW Ideol. (BW Ideol Press Release)
Project partners:
Sealhyfe has received support from the French energy and environment agency ADEME and the Pays de la Loire Region.
Press releases
- LHYFE: World’s first offshore renewable hydrogen production pilot site is inaugurated by Lhyfe
- BW Ideol: World’s first offshore hydrogen plant soon powered by Floatgen
More news
Sealhyfe: challenges and milestones
The Sealhyfe platform tackle several major and unprecedented challenges, including:- Performing all stages of hydrogen production at sea
- Managing the impact of the platform’s movement on the equipment
- Coping with environmental stress
- Operating in an isolated environment
A demonstrator developed with leading experts:
- To achieve this technological feat, Lhyfe relied on the facilities of the offshore testing site, SEM-REV, operated by Centrale Nantes.
- The production unit was installed on the WAVEGEM wave energy platform developed by Geps Techno.
- At the end of the quayside test phase, the Sealhyfe platform will be installed on the SEM-REV offshore test site, about 20 km off the coast from Le Croisic.
- The device will then be supplied with electricity by the floating wind turbine, installed on the offshore test site in 2018, a pioneering device that remains unique in France today.