Norwegian FSRU player Hoegh Evi and a unit of Finnish tech firm Wartsila have developed what they say is the world’s first floating ammonia-to-hydrogen cracker.
According to a joint statement by Hoegh Evi and Wartsila Gas Solutions, this technology enables floating import terminals to produce hydrogen at industrial-scale volumes from transported ammonia.
The project was announced in April 2023 and is part of Norway’s green platform programme.
Up to 210,000 tonnes of hydrogen per year
The industrial-scale ammonia cracker has a modular design that allows integration into both hybrid floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) and dedicated floating hydrogen terminals.
Hoegh Evi and Wartsila Gas Solutions said the technology is highly scalable with a sendout capacity of up to 210,000 tonnes of hydrogen annually.
Ammonia storage can range from 10,000 cbm to 120,000 cbm.
The project has received about 5.9 million euros ($6.7 million) in funding from the Norwegian government’s green platform programme, representing about 50 percent of the total budget.
According to the partners, the ammonia cracker was constructed at Sustainable Energy’s Norwegian Catapult Center in Stord, Norway.
Additional partners in the project include the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE), University of South-East Norway, Sustainable Energy, and BASF.
Hoegh Evi developing several hydrogen projects in Europe
Citing the EU’s REPower strategy, the partners noted that Europe plans to import 10 million tonnes of hydrogen per year by 2030.
“As the development of the hydrogen grid progresses, floating infrastructure with ammonia cracking technology can unlock large-scale imports, supplying hard-to-abate industries with a stable baseload energy source and balance within the energy system,” the statement said.
To meet this demand, Hoegh Evi is developing several hydrogen terminal projects in Europe, with targeted start of operations before 2030.
Earlier this year, Hoegh Evi, previously known as Hoegh LNG, joined forces with German gas importer Securing Energy for Europe (SEFE) to develop floating ammonia-to-hydrogen terminals along Germany’s Baltic Sea and North Sea coasts, as well as other potential locations in Europe.
Moreover, the firm signed a memorandum in November last year with the French port of Port-La Nouvelle to develop a floating terminal for hydrogen imports.
Hoegh Evi and German LNG terminal operator Deutsche ReGas also signed a deal to develop a floating hydrogen import terminal in the German port of Lubmin.
Hoegh Evi’s fleet comprises ten FSRUs and three LNG carriers.