ABB to provide automation for green energy FPSO
SwitcH2's green ammonia FPSO
(Source: SwitcH2)
ABB has signed a term sheet with Netherlands-based green energy developer, SwitcH2, detailing the supply of automation and electrification systems for a green ammonia floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) plant.
A 300-MW electrolyser on board the FPSO, which will be sited off the Portuguese coast, will produce up to 243,000 tonnes of green ammonia a year. Under a power purchase agreement, the unit will receive certified renewable electricity for the production process from Portugal’s nation grid.
The FPSO will use treated seawater and hydrolysis to produce green hydrogen. This will then be combined with nitrogen from the air to produce green ammonia. This will be stored on board and offloaded to gas tankers via a floating hose system. The product will be shipped ashore where it will be used either as a marine fuel or cracked back into hydrogen for industrial plant applications.
The agreement set out in the term sheet will require ABB to deliver a prefabricated eHouse, electrical distribution systems, and an ABB AbilityTM 800xA® Integrated Control and Safety System with full cyber security protection. The ABB equipment will be configured to integrate entirely with third-party equipment including electrolysers and ammonia synthesis units.
ABB Energy Division’s president, Per Erik Holsten, commented: “Green ammonia offers a technically viable method for decarbonising marine transport, and this FPSO concept showcases how renewable energy can be leveraged to unlock low carbon energy value chains.”
The front-end engineering and design stage is expected to run until summer next year, followed by a final investment decision during the third quarter of the year. Engineering and construction will follow thereafter in 2027.
