
NEW MEMBER NEPTUNE ENERGY: “THE ENERGY OF AYOP MEMBERS WAS TANGIBLE.”
After a successful AYOP Business Call last September hosted by Neptune Energy, the company has decided to officially join the AYOP association. Neptune Energy is an independent international company that produces oil & gas in the North Sea, North Africa and Southeast Asia. Having been active in the North Sea since 1964, it is the largest offshore gas producer in the Netherlands.
“I immediately felt the enthusiasm and energy of the AYOP members,” says Lex de Groot, Managing Director of Neptune Energy. “While the border of the Netherlands ends at the beaches for many people there’s so much going on beyond. The North Sea is important to us as a country; to our economy, energy and employment. And that’s especially the case when combined with the ports and associated onshore and offshore infrastructures. AYOP is therefore a key platform for us to utilise the opportunities of the energy transition and to share knowledge.”
With 29 offshore installations and four large-scale processing hubs, Neptune Energy Netherlands is the largest gas producer in the Dutch part of the North Sea. The company mission is to make a positive contribution to the changing energy demands of society and the energy transition. In addition to gas, Neptune is involved in New Energy projects such as offshore green hydrogen production and offshore CO2 storage (CCS). These can be realised faster using the existing infrastructure, bringing considerable social and economic benefits to the Netherlands by reducing the costs of the energy transition and by maintaining and expanding the country’s existing knowledge. The reuse of platforms and pipelines also reduces environmental damage as the seabed and nature reserves like the dunes do not have to be disturbed.
One of these New Energy projects is PosHYdon, the first offshore green hydrogen pilot worldwide, which will take place on the Neptune-operated Q13a-A platform off the coast of Scheveningen. In addition, the company is performing feasibility studies into CO2 storage in empty gas fields: CCS has an essential role if the Dutch climate goals are to be achieved by 2030.
Lex de Groot: “The Dutch North Sea has the potential to become a ‘new energy hub’. The integration of new energy sources with existing infrastructure that connects offshore and onshore will accelerate the energy transition. I am proud of the way our company is enthusiastically extending its focus from gas extraction to include hydrogen and CCS. Moreover, PosHYdon will put the Netherlands back on the innovation map for offshore green hydrogen, and there are many other opportunities to boot. All demand cooperation and we look forward to making new contacts, sharing knowledge, facing challenges and creating opportunities together in the AYOP network.”
“Our sector is facing considerable challenges, and the oil & gas segment is no exception,” says Sylvia Boer, director of AYOP. “Neptune Energy is ambitious in seeking out and facilitating new solutions and developments. This is a good impulse for the region and, in particular, our members.”