Aker, Varanger and GE, IHI working on ammonia for decarbonisation
Berlevåg project is considered a well-advanced project that will contribute to developing a full value chain hydrogen industry in Norway.
Aker Clean Hydrogen and Varanger Kraft’s project to build a green hydrogen and ammonia plant in Berlevåg in Northern Norway has now successfully passed the feasibility study and concept phase.
The project plan is to build a 100 MW hydrogen plant, with a future expansion of up to 200 MW, start producing green ammonia by the end of 2024.
The plant will be based north of the Arctic Circle in Berlevåg municipality sourcing renewable power from Varanger Kraft’s Raggovidda wind park. The project goal is to decarbonise arctic shipping and off-grid power plants by producing green ammonia.
Norwegian authorities recently extended the licence deadline for Varanger Kraft to expand the wind power production capacity in the Raggovidda wind farm until 2026. The ammonia will replace traditional fossil fuels for ships, rigs and off-grid power stations, removing about 200k tonnes/year of CO2. A 2.5 MW, hydrogen pilot facility is already in operation, which produced the first kg of clean hydrogen.
Nyborg, CEO of Aker Clean Hydrogen, said, “Our findings confirm that the Green Ammonia Berlevag project is well placed to realise green ammonia production at scale to decarbonise arctic shipping and off-grid power plants.”
Christian Bue, CEO of Green Ammonia Berlevåg AS (the recently formed joint venture between Aker Clean Hydrogen and Varanger Kraf), said, “The extended license deadline gives Varanger Kraft the opportunity to expand the capacity of Raggovidda to 200 MW with an additional 103 MW of wind power which in turn will result in higher supply of renewable power to the planned production plant in Berlevåg.”
Rolf Laupstad, mayor of Berlevåg, said, “This project is crucial for us to reach our ambition of making Berlevåg an Arctic power centre of green development.”
Liv Monica Stubholt, Chairman of Green Ammonia Berlevåg AS, said, “When developing the emerging hydrogen and ammonia industry, the geography of Berlevåg in the Arctic proves central rather than peripheral.”
In a separate development, GE and IHI Corporation (IHI), Japan heavy industry manufacturer, agreed to collaborate on developing a gas turbine business roadmap called ‘Ammonia Roadmap’ to support the use of ammonia as a carbon-free fuel to cut emission in existing and new gas turbines.
Both partners will conduct feasibility studies for ammonia as feedstock for gas turbine power plant installations in Japan and across Asia.
Ramesh Singaram, President and CEO for GE Gas Power in Asia, said, “GE is continuing to advance our gas power technologies towards near zero-carbon power generation, and part of this evolution may involve the use of ammonia as a fuel in order to reduce CO₂ emissions.”
Koji Takeda, Executive Officer President of Resources, Energy & Environment Business Area IHI, said, “IHI is the leading company of ammonia co-firing technology on a gas-turbine with 70% of the liquid ammonia co-firing ratio.”
