Our transition to a zero-carbon future
Ireland and Europe are on a path to a green transition with an ultimate goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. The energy sector and other sectors like the heating and transport sectors emit greenhouse gases, which affects climate change. Cleaner energy sources and fuels are needed in order to transition to a zero-carbon future. One such clean fuel is green hydrogen, which is produced using a clean energy source like renewable solar or wind power. Green electricity is passed through water by way of a proven process called electrolysis to produce green hydrogen. This green hydrogen can in turn be used again to produce clean electricity or as a clean fuel for heating and transport. The use of renewable energy to produce green hydrogen is variable. To manage the intermittency and seasonality of green hydrogen production in Ireland, this subsea storage project will store green hydrogen to provide a reliable continuous hydrogen supply to end users.
Location
Celtic Sea
Storage Capacity
The first phase of this project will have a capacity to store approximately 1TWh of hydrogen*
Distance to shore
Approximately 80km to 90km
Project Area
Storage will be approximately 1,000m beneath the seabed
* On the basis of assuming 1kg hydrogen per 100km travelled, the hydrogen that will pass through the first phase of this facility on an annual basis if used to fuel hydrogen cars in Ireland would equate to approximately 2.5 billion kilometres travelled, which is equivalent to 8.5 round trips to the sun, 3,300 round trips to the moon, 63,300 times around Earth. In 2018, all private car use in Ireland travelled a total of 35.1 billion kilometres, so, hydrogen fuelled cars fuelled by the hydrogen that will pass through the first phase of this facility in one year would have fuelled approximately 14.5% of all private car travel in 2018 or 53 days of travel and would have saved approximately 580,000 tonnes of CO2. [reference: https://www.seai.ie/data-and-insights/seai-statistics/transport/#:~:text=Source%3A%20SEAI-,Private%20cars,the%20sharp%20drop%20in%202020]
** Reference: Table 11 page 55 of the 2023 National Hydrogen Strategy i.e. 1 TWh being approximately 20% of the ‘Low’ 90 days storage requirement scenario.
Target Operation Date
Mid 2030's
COâ‚‚ Savings
The hydrogen passing through the first phase of this project could save approximately 580,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum *
Energy
This project will provide hydrogen storage with volume capacity of approximately 20% of Ireland’s 2050 hydrogen economy storage (90 days) needs supporting associated clean energy production and use in the energy, heat and industrial sectors **
Jobs
Potentially up to an estimated 200 - 300 jobs during construction and 25 fulltime long term jobs.
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Our Approach
This subsea hydrogen storage project development is being led by Galetech Energy Developments. In 2022, we began work on investigating the feasibility of developing a green hydrogen subsea storage project in the Celtic Sea. Subject to successfully progressing the project through the development, licensing and permitting process and in consultation with local communities, the fisheries/seafood industry and other stakeholders, our plan is to bring this subsea hydrogen storage project into operation in the 2030’s.
Our Greener Future
The government has set out a commitment of net zero emissions by 2050 in the Climate Action Plan. The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) published the National Hydrogen Strategy in 2023 setting out the strategic vision on the role that hydrogen will play in Ireland’s energy system, looking to its long-term role as a key component of a zero-carbon economy. The key policy drivers of the National Hydrogen Strategy are to decarbonise our economy, enhance our energy independence and create industrial and export market opportunities. One of the main points in the National Hydrogen Strategy is that long duration geological storage is critical enabling infrastructure, essential to the future viability of hydrogen. Our project, as enabling infrastructure, will contribute to the vision and key policy drivers of the National Hydrogen Strategy in creating a green and sustainable future for all.
