(Ålesund / Norway) – Norwegian Hydrogen AS, the Australian company Provaris Energy Ltd, and Uniper Global Commodities SE plan to jointly develop hydrogen supply from the Nordic countries to import hubs in Northwest Europe. The projects will be strategically located in areas with stable grid connections and power supplies and will include hydrogen production and compression facilities.
Norwegian Hydrogen wants to build a 270 megawatt electrolysis plant in the municipality of Ålesund. The green hydrogen will be stored in Provaris floating pressure storage systems and then exported. © Norwegian Hydrogen AS
Uniper will purchase compressed gaseous hydrogen from factories being developed by Norwegian Hydrogen. Delivery and transport will be carried out using Provaris transporters (H2Neo) and floating pressure storage tanks (H2Leo). The ship concepts based on compression technology are to be implemented by 2028. The hydrogen production and export plants as well as the transport will ensure Europe's supply of gaseous hydrogen "at competitive prices," explains Provaris.
The development of the transport ship and storage facility was awarded to Prodtex AS, with the Norwegian research organization SINTEF playing a key role. In contrast to the transport of ammonia (NH3), from which hydrogen can be extracted, the transport of compressed hydrogen leads to a lower loss of energy content because the hydrogen remains in a gaseous state. Compression requires lower investment costs, which lowers the overall costs.
In April last year, Provaris presented a floating storage facility for gaseous hydrogen called "H2Leo". The capacity is 300 to 600 tons and can be expanded to up to 2.000 tons. © Provaris
In 2021, the certification company ABS granted a first approval in principle (AiP) for two classes of green pressurized hydrogen transporters (GH2), the 26.000 cubic meter "H2Neo" and the "H2Max" with a capacity of 120.000 cubic meters. Provaris plans to hold a shipyard tender for the construction of the H2025Neo ship in 2, with delivery planned for 2027/28.
“H2Leo”, on the other hand, is a flexible floating hydrogen storage facility that can be optimized in size, capacity and operation for various applications. It has a large working deck and a hull for the installation of auxiliary systems such as compression and H2 bunkering.
Hydrogen earmarked for EU certification
In April 2024, Provaris and Norwegian Hydrogen had already expanded their partnership to accelerate the development of new hydrogen export sites across the Nordic region. Together with Uniper, they now want to create efficient and flexible supply chains to market hydrogen produced in accordance with EU standards to industrial and other users. The energy source must be certified as "renewable fuels of non-biological origin" (RFNBO), which certifies that it was produced using only renewable energies.
Norwegian Hydrogen, headquartered in Ålesund, focuses on both the production and distribution of green hydrogen. Its owners include Fortescue, Mitsui & Co., Ltd., Flakk Group, Hexagon Purus, and the Norwegian hydropower company Tafjord. In June 2023, the company announced the construction of a 270-megawatt green hydrogen production plant in the Sunnmøre coastal region of Norway.
Provaris Energy Ltd, headquartered in Australia, is developing a portfolio of green hydrogen projects for regional trade in Asia and Europe. Provaris Norway AS was established in August 2022 to drive the development of regional hydrogen supply.
Photo above
Illustration of the Provaris “H2Neo” carrier with two tanks for compressed hydrogen. © Provaris
