Provaris Pioneers Europe's Green Energy Revolution with Hydrogen Export from Norway
- 09-May-2023 6:10 PM
- Journalist: Timothy Greene
Europe: Provaris Energy and Norwegian Hydrogen have collaborated to conduct a pre-feasibility study, which has resulted in the discovery of an affordable method for exporting green hydrogen from Norway to Europe. The study focused on the use of Provaris's compressed Hydrogen floating storage and carriers. A potential production facility location has been identified in Norway, with the capacity to deliver up to 50,000 tonnes of green Hydrogen to Europe, starting in 2027. The projected cost, including a marine transport fee, is estimated to be EUR 1.00-1.50/kg - making it a competitive option for customers.
The study aims to cover various aspects such as site selection, renewable energy supply, Hydrogen production, compression facilities, infrastructure needed for jetty loading, utilization of Provaris's H2Leo storage solution, and a fleet of two H2Neo carriers capable of carrying 26,000m3 (430 tonnes).
Germany and the Netherlands have emerged as significant import hubs for bulk-scale Hydrogen. These countries are currently making remarkable progress in planning and developing dedicated Hydrogen infrastructure, including the HyPerLink project. The objective of HyPerLink project is to create a cross-border, open access Hydrogen infrastructure in Northern Germany. It will connect the Hydrogen's large-scale intake with the urban and industrial centers in Northern Germany and the future Hydrogen storage facilities. Upon its completion, this project will establish an extensive Hydrogen network spanning up to 7.2 GW, with a total distance covering approximately 610 km (380 miles).
Provaris has set up an efficient grid system that utilizes repurposed gas storage and pipelines to integrate with its compressed Hydrogen solution for ports in Germany and the Netherlands. The Hydrogen backbone will offer customers in the regions of Bremen, Hamburg, Brunsbuttel/Heide, and Hanover with the necessary services. The primary focus is on directly connecting with significant industrial consumers, such as steelworks and refineries.
Provaris announces that its export supply chain for compressed Hydrogen offers a flexible and cost-effective solution that is in line with the increasing demand for giga-watt scale generation capacity to be shipped across Europe as gaseous green Hydrogen. The company found that compression is a more advantageous process, considering the variation in power prices. Moreover, using 24/7 utilization may not always result in a lower cost of Hydrogen and can negatively impact the local grid.
The partners involved in the project have now moved forward with their development activities towards procuring permits. They have also initiated key agreements that will help in completing the detailed feasibility study by the year 2023.
The exciting news is that Provaris has received design approval from ABS for its first compressed Hydrogen ship in December 2022. Provaris is now anticipating entering contracts for shipbuilding in the early months of 2024.