Partners embark on green ammonia project
The project's aim is to deliver an industrial scale floating green ammonia production facility partially powered by wave energy
(Source: Switch2)
Rotterdam-based green energy specialist, SwitcH2, and Sweden-headquartered CorPower Ocean are teaming up to develop industrial-scale offshore green hydrogen and green ammonia production units based on floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) technology.
Backed by BW Offshore, Dutch Oceans Capital, and a grant from the Dutch Government’s GroenvermogenNL TSE, the partners plan to deploy electrolysers powered by a mix of renewable energies including wind, sun and now waves to generate a better balance of green electricity.
SwitcH2’s NH3 FPSO unit will be installed on a new tanker, close to the size of a VLCC, with a 300-MW electrolysis plant on deck. Green ammonia produced by the unit will be stored in pressurised tanks on board before being exported to shore on dedicate shuttle tankers.
The floating facility is expected to reach an annual production capacity approaching 300,000 tonnes, enough to supply ammonia fuel to a large number of oceangoing vessels. Green ammonia from the plant could start to become available by 2029.
Green ammonia is already used in the global fertiliser market and its market is estimated to be worth USD 700 million this year. However, experts believe this could have grown to USD 55 billion by 2032. Meanwhile, ammonia is seen as a key component in shipping’s decarbonisation drive.
Saskia Kunst, SwitcH2 director and co-founder, said: “We are extremely pleased with our collaboration with CorPower Ocean as integrating their promising save energy adds economic benefits to our already competitive offshore production system. Jointly we look at a buoyant market for green ammonia which is set to expand six-fold between now and 2050.
CorPower Ocean’s Kevin Rebenius, commercial director, said: “Wave energy is one of the largest untapped energy source in the world. It’s renewable, accessible, and abundant. Crucially, it’s also highly consistent bring greater stability to the clean energy mix, enabling 24/7 renewable electricity supply allowing industrial processes like this to run at high utilisation. We look forward to working with fellow tech pioneer SwitcH2 with a shared vision for a cleaner, brighter future powered by renewables.”
CorPower Ocean recently announced the largest single investment in its wave energy technology after securing EUR 32 million in Series B1 funding. This will enable the company to undertake the next stage of wave energy development, taking it along the way to becoming a bankable mainstream energy source in its own right.
