Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the two organisations plan to combine Scotland’s offshore wind with AquaVentus’ offshore electrolysis expertise, linking export and import goals across the North Sea.

The AquaDuctus pipeline is a planned offshore hydrogen link designed to carry green hydrogen through the North Sea, using a pipes and wires hybrid approach. The German consortium plans 10GW of offshore electrolysers in the North Sea, producing around one million tonnes of green hydrogen.

The pipeline design allows offshore wind farms to deliver electricity when the grid needs it, or convert power into hydrogen via electrolysis and transport it through pipelines.

“The position paper highlights the significant potential of hydrogen production in Scotland, the necessity of imports for Germany, and references transport infrastructure already under planning,” Hydrogen Scotland explained.

“It thus lays the foundation for cross-border hydrogen trade between Germany and the United Kingdom.”

Rober Seehawer,  Managing Director of AquaVentus, urged the German government to lock in hybrid offshore connections and cross-border hydrogen pipelines in law, so the industry can actually build them.

“This will make cost-effective offshore electrolysis possible in periods of low energy prices – and at the same time provide an additional business model for offshore wind operators,” Seehawer said.

Both Scotland and Germany have ambitious hydrogen export and import goals.

Scotland aims to produce up to 3.3 million tonnes of green hydrogen per year for export by 2045, while Germany expects imports to cover 50–70% of its 2030 demand, equivalent to as much as 2.3 million tonnes.