A crucial common understanding of electrolysis system operations and maintenance in Ørsted

Ørsted's operations and maintenance organisation is now better prepared than ever to address risks and safety in an electrolysis system, thanks to a customised course.

Challenge

Ørsted operates a Power-to-X demonstration facility, and the company needed to establish a common understanding around the risk and safety aspects.

Solution

FORCE Technology developed a customised electrolysis facility safety and operations course for Ørsted.

Result

Ørsted's operations and maintenance organisation is much better prepared to handle risks and safety at its Power-to-X facility.

As one of Denmark's largest energy companies, Ørsted is seeking to replace fossil fuels with hydrogen produced using green power. Ørsted is a member of the H2RES hydrogen project and will be producing hydrogen using an electrolysis system with a 2 MW capacity. The system will use electrolysis to convert excess power generated by wind turbines in Avedøre Holme to hydrogen.

Power-to-X, as well as the development of sustainable fuels and technologies for storing and using CO₂, are crucial to the green transformation as it relates to energy supply in Denmark and Europe at large.

Improving safety through a common understanding

Ørsted has extensive experience operating cogeneration and district heating plants. The company is now working to translate that experience and gain new knowledge in Power-to-X, hydrogen, and electrolysis. Because Ørsted plans to build many new facilities in the future, it needs to ensure that its entire operations and maintenance organisation has a common understanding around safety and maintenance for Power-to-X systems.

For that reason, FORCE Technology compiled a course for Ørsted to address the various aspects of operating and maintaining an electrolysis facility. The course content included a technical introduction to the electrolysis process, national regulations, and the risks associated with managing and operating a Power-to-X facility.

Gradually building knowledge in Power-to-X

Accumulating knowledge and training employees are key to working in new areas like hydrogen and electrolysis. In view of this, the course supports Ørsted in providing follow-up and continuing education to its employees so that the entire organisation is up to date and well equipped to face the future.

It additionally improves Ørsted's ability to set requirements for vendors and contractors regarding the safest, most optimal operation and maintenance for Power-to-X facilities.

"In a large organisation like Ørsted, course participants are naturally going to have disparate levels of knowledge. That's what makes putting a common foundation in place so valuable. The participants had very positive feedback at the end of the course. They reported feeling much better prepared to work in this brand-new area," says Lars Nøhr-Nielsen, a project manager at FORCE Technology.