Hydrogen production: Evides warns of water supply issues
- Eric Lewis
- Jan 24, 2022
- 3 min read
Companies wanting to produce hydrogen could face unnecessary cost and risk if they don’t plan properly for water supply and treatment, water specialist Evides will warn at Foresight’s Hydrogen Production event in London on February 24.
(Demineralised waterplant, built for the expansion of Maasvlakte)
As companies gear up for new hydrogen production sites and industrial clusters, Evides says that water is a concern in terms of both quality and availability, as hydrogen production requires considerable amounts of water. Many areas of the UK are already becoming ‘water- stressed’, which could lead companies into both water permitting and quality issues.
In the Netherlands, the company is investing heavily in additional facilities to cope with 1,300MW of planned hydrogen production, which will soak up an estimated1,500 cu m per hour of water for both feed water and cooling water needs.
In the UK, provision has not been made for this extra drain on the water system, which means that companies could face difficulties accessing adequate water supplies. Prime sites for locating hydrogen production plants, such as the Humber Estuary, are in areas where freshwater supplies are already under considerable pressure.
In addition, water sources that are available, such as sea water, may not be of the right quality for use with hydrogen electrolysers, which are normally only fitted with standard water treatment equipment, meaning that safe operation will require pre-treatment of feedwater.
As many companies are seeking to locate within the same area, Evides argues that a shared resource approach to water and wastewater treatment is the most cost-effective way to approach the looming problem.
Colin Robinson, Evides’ Business Manager UK & Ireland, explains: “If you have six customers seeking water supplies in the same area for the same business, it simply does not make economic sense to have six different water treatment plants supplying the same kind of treated water. These companies can make huge savings by collaborating with a specialist industrial water expert such as Evides, which can combine demand and design a single water treatment system to guarantee a sustainable, quality and tailored water supply to all collaborators.”
As an expert water management company used to organising design, build, finance and operate (DBFO_ multi-partner contracts, Evides experience in finding environmentally sustainable water solutions and maximising water recycling and reuse, is unrivalled.
Mr Robinson will further outline the importance of the water supply question during a presentation at HydrogenProduction: https://www.foresight.events/ hydrogen-production
Images:
Image 1 shows a demineralised water plant, built for the expansion of Maasvlakte. With a production capacity of 800 cubic metres per hour, it supplies 25 companies along
a 48km supply network, who would all otherwise need their own small treatment plant. The plant is designed with flexibility to enable future increases in industrial production.
Contact:
Colin Robinson – Evides UK BusinessManager
Tel: +44 (0) 7455 721 799
Email: colin.robinson@evides.nl
Editos Notes:
Evides Industriewater are specialists in industrial process water and wastewater treatment. Combining excellent service and maximum availability with effective innovation, Evides Industriewater is the perfect water partner for industry.
Reliability, sustainability, and quality are the basic principles for the design and management of our plants. Our Design, Build, Finance & Operate contracts guarantee good water management in the long term.
Evides provides professional asset management, which ensures efficient business operations, as we continuously integrate new knowledge and technology to improve our existing and new projects.
