On November 19, Gwenaelle BENOIT, Head of Innovation at Ekium, spoke at Plenary Session 2 of the EVOLEN Annual Conference at the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie (Paris) on the topic: “Offshore hydrogen: an example of European innovation?” The session was moderated by Christophe BRICE (SUBSEA7) alongside Rene PETERS (TNO/North Sea Energy), Robert SEEHAWER (AquaVentus), Nicole VAN DELFT (BMWE), Baptiste MERLET (Lhyfe), and Antoine LE COTTY (SBM Offshore).
Ekium’s expertise: a comprehensive view of the offshore value chain
At Ekium, we develop integrated solutions covering:
Production: electrolysis at wind turbine foundations or centralized platforms (fixed/floating)
Distribution: onshore refueling and export stations (pipelines, air-carrying ships)
End uses: H₂-ready ships and industrial integration
Key messages from our presentation:
System integration and intermittency management Offshore electrolysis absorbs surplus production from wind farms, reducing constraints and creating a storable energy vector.
Long-term storage Hydrogen enables seasonal storage (weeks to months) that is impossible with batteries.
Grid decongestion potential Offshore production reduces pressure on coastal grids that are often saturated and opens direct industrial outlets (ports, refineries, steel mills, chemical plants) without requiring massive upgrades to onshore infrastructure.