AquaVentus Appoints New Board Members

AquaVentus, the initiative to implement hydrogen production in the North Sea, has a new Board of Directors. With the election of Martin Neubert, Chief Investment Officer at Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), and Robert Eschenauer, Director Product Management Electrolyzer at Bosch, the initiative is positioning itself for the challenges ahead. The re-elected CEO Jörg Singer thanks his departing colleagues Dr Martin Dörnhöfer, Offshore Director at RWE, and Martin Gerhardt, Managing Director of Siemens Gamesa, for their commitment over the past two years.

Dr Kirsten Westphal, Member of the Executive Board at BDEW, Dr Christoph von dem Bussche, Managing Director of GASCADE Gastransport GmbH and Treasurer Kay Martens, Versorgungsbetriebe Helgoland, will remain on the Board of the Helgoland-based association.

‘We need to take an even more European approach to hydrogen production at sea. The North Sea is a networked area with many opportunities for cooperation in energy policy. We are a globally active company with Danish roots and a strong presence in Germany and want to contribute our expertise in the future,’ says Martin Neubert from CIP, explaining his commitment. The aim of offshore electrolysis is to make a significant contribution to the energy transition and to reducing dependence on energy imports.

The establishment of an international value chain is essential for the development of a sustainable and efficient hydrogen economy,’ adds Robert Eschenauer from Bosch: ’As a leading technology company, we see great growth potential in the field of offshore electrolysis. I see my motivation and my main task as finding the best solutions for the offshore production of hydrogen from wind energy through the exchange of knowledge and experience. Our aim is to develop products that are not only technologically advanced, but also meet the needs of people and the environment.

The newly formed board of the hydrogen initiative sees numerous challenges to overcome in the coming years. Following the early general election in Germany, CEO Singer believes that the appropriate political framework conditions for a successful and cost-efficient energy transition must be established quickly and with conviction.

This includes, above all, enabling mixed (or combined) connection concepts for energy transport by pipeline and cable, offshore hydrogen pilot plants and the rapid tendering of the SEN-1 areas as part of the implementation of the German hydrogen strategy as well as the consistent expansion of the AquaDuctus pipeline as part of the hydrogen core network. It is also important to provide impetus for the H2 market ramp-up. ‘We need to think in a networked way, link sectors and get everyone involved on the road to the North Sea green power plant,’ says Singer, looking to the future.