German green hydrogen and fuels advocate, Hy2gen AG, announced a strategic collaboration with Norwegian developer Deep Wind Offshore on Friday. The partnership, facilitated through its subsidiary Hy2Gen Norge AS, aims to harness the power of offshore wind farms to drive the production of renewable ammonia in Norway.
The agreement outlines Hy2Gen's reliance on Deep Wind Offshore's offshore wind energy supply for the electrolysis process crucial in obtaining green hydrogen, a key component in the creation of renewable ammonia.
Looking ahead, the joint vision of the two companies is to produce renewable ammonia as a sustainable fuel for Norway's shipping industry. Notably, Norway has set an ambitious target to allocate 30 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2040. According to Hy2Gen, if 16 GW of this capacity is utilized for ammonia production derived from green hydrogen, it could potentially eliminate 100% of Norway's annual maritime emissions, which currently amount to 10 million tonnes of CO2.
While offshore wind development holds great promise, challenges such as access and capacity in the power grid persist. Hege Økland, Managing Director of Hy2gen Norge AS, acknowledged this, stating, “Investment in grid infrastructure is resource-intensive and can be limited for new offshore wind projects. By producing hydrogen close to the offshore wind farm, we can reduce the load on the grid.”
Wiesbaden-based Hy2Gen is actively engaged in developing renewable hydrogen production projects across Europe and the Americas. In Norway, the company has previously partnered with commodity trader Trafigura and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) on a green ammonia project boasting an initial electrolyser capacity of 240 MW.