Norwegian ammonia project targets maritime market

The facility, named Iverson eFuels AS, will be owned by Hy2gen, independent commodities trading company Trafigura, and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, a Danish fund management company focused on renewable energy infrastructure.

Together with Norconsult, a pre-study was completed in 2021, and the project owners have now started the Front End Engineering Design (FEED) phase. Following final investment decision in 2023, construction is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2024, and the facility will be fully operational at the beginning of 2027.

The Iverson project will have an initial electrolyser capacity of 240MW to produce 600 metric tons of green ammonia per day. Production will be significantly scaled up in the future.

“When we started looking for a location for our green ammonia plant in Norway, Sauda emerged as the epitome. The accessibility to abundant green energy from hydropower, a good harbour for exports, an attractive production site, a long regional industry history, and above all, the positive reception of the local authorities and businesses, encouraged us to choose Sauda as the future home of Iverson eFuels AS in Norway,” said Cyril Dufau-Sansot, CEO of the Hy2gen Group.

“Availability of zero emission alternative fuels such as green ammonia is an important pre-requisite to decarbonising the global shipping industry. We also urgently need global policy-makers to cost neutralise the use of zero carbon fuels through carbon pricing measures to drive demand and enable to radically reduce emissions,” said Rasmus Bach Nielsen, Trafigura’s Global Head of Fuel Decarbonisation.

The project is supported by Agenda Vest and the UllaFørre fund.

Meanwhile, in France, Hy2en is investing EUR460 million  as the main investor in the implementation of the HYNOVERA project. As owner and operator, the company will build a plant for the production of CO2-neutral fuels on an industrial scale with its partner GazelEnergie.

In Meyreuil in the south of France, the HYNOVERA project aims to develop a global ecosystem for the production of green hydrogen, green ammonia for shipping, Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) and e-methanol, from 100% renewable energy.

These fuels will be produced from biomass in a pyro-gasification plant, with green hydrogen produced from an electrolyser powered by renewable electricity. Initially, 500 tonnes of biomass will be processed daily, all of which will come from forestry in the immediate vicinity.