Tenaris and IGI Poseidon, a joint venture between Greece’s DEPA International Projects and Italy’s Edison S.p.A., have joined forces to advance the hydrogen transportation via ultra-deep offshore pipelines.
This collaboration aims to tackle two main challenges: safely conveying hydrogen under severe conditions and ensuring economic competitiveness of the transmission costs.
Hydrogen is increasingly recognized as a key enabler in the transition to a low-carbon future, offering a clean, versatile alternative to traditional molecules. Despite its unique property as a carbon-free vector that can integrate into the existing energy system with only minor changes, its tendency to embrittle steel under certain conditions must be addressed.
IGI Poseidon and Tenaris are tackling this challenge to advance infrastructure development by jointly conducting qualification testing for offshore high-pressure pipelines, combining their expertise in energy infrastructures and pipe technology.
“Our target in IGI Poseidon has always been about developing and realizing infrastructures to provide diversified and competitive energy for the future,” said Fabrizio Mattana, CEO at IGI Poseidon. “This partnership is a natural extension of our vision that is evolving in order to contribute to Europe’s ambitious climate goals.”
Konstantinos Xifaras, Chairman of the Board at IGI Poseidon, remarked, "This collaboration is a significant step towards realizing a sustainable energy future. By combining our expertise with Tenaris advanced materials technology, we are reinforcing our commitment into hydrogen transportation and innovation."
Innovation lies at the core of Tenaris’s approach to advancing energy technologies. Philippe Darcis, Pipeline Technology Senior Director at Tenaris, highlighted, “Contributing to research on material performance in hydrogen environments is key to our strategy. We are leveraging our expertise and R&D capabilities to support the development of next-generation hydrogen transportation networks."
The joint initiative, launched in 2024, involves rigorous testing of high-strength material (X70) and girth welding under high-pressure conditions, simulating the transport of pure hydrogen via the same offshore pipelines IGI Poseidon already designed for natural gas.
The qualification of the pipeline is being carried out in specialized laboratories in Italy and in the US, with a focus on fracture toughness testing on the material under various pressure levels, up to 330 bar, in line with the latest industry guidelines. This will provide a reliable assessment of the impact of increasing pressure in pipeline transporting 100% hydrogen, helping to define the operational conditions for hydrogen readiness. Preliminary results will be presented in 2025.
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