The HOPE (Hydrogen Offshore Production for Europe) project consortium announced June 27 that it had signed a €20 million ($21.8 million) grant agreement with the European Commission, creating a pathway for the deployment of the large-scale offshore production of renewable hydrogen.

The HOPE project aims to develop, build and operate the first 10 MW hydrogen production unit off the coast of Belgium by 2026. The project, which will be located at an offshore testing area near the Port of Ostend, looks to be the central link in Belgium’s hydrogen supply chain, according to Lhyfe, a European group that is one of the nine partners involved in the HOPE project that is dedicated to energy transition and supplying the continent with renewable hydrogen.

The HOPE project was selected for funding by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership under European Grant Agreement #101111899, making it a recognized flagship project that contributes to Europe’s energy transition. The grant, which will be awarded over five years, will be used to finance the design phases of the project, the supply of equipment and construction as well as research and development.

The site will be powered via electricity provided by PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) contracts that guarantee its renewable origin. The production site will be made up of three units: compression at sea under medium pressure, export by composite pipeline, then compression at high pressure followed by storage and distribution.

According to Lhyfe, the first kilos of HOPE hydrogen could be produced as soon as 2026. That hydrogen supply will be used to fuel the mobility needs and small industries of Belgium, France and the Netherlands.

“Thanks to an ambitious plan to disseminate and utilize the results, the [HOPE] consortium intends to accelerate the deployment of large-scale offshore hydrogen solutions to help achieve the target set by the European Commission of 10 Mt of clean hydrogen produced in the European Union by 2030 to decarbonize the European economy,” Lhyfe said in a statement.