Horisont Energi and the Port of Rotterdam have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the transportation of blue ammonia from Norway to Rotterdam.
The two parties will explore a collaboration to ship blue ammonia, produced in Northern Norway, from natural gas with carbon capture and storage, to the port of Rotterdam, where it will be received for further distribution to meet expected demand in Northwestern Europe.
Final investment decision for the production of blue ammonia at the Barents Blue project – the first world-scale blue ammonia plant in Finnmark in Northern Norway – is expected towards the end of 2022.
Blue ammonia could be shipped to Rotterdam by 2025.
Once operational, Barents Blue will have a production capacity of 3,000 tons of ammonia per day, or one million tons per year.
In addition to being a key industrial gas globally in the fertilizer and chemical sector, ammonia is a very efficient hydrogen carrier.
This makes net zero CO2 emission ammonia one of the most promising fuels for decarbonization of the shipping industry.
Nico van Dooren, director New Business at the Port of Rotterdam, said, “There’s an important role for blue hydrogen if we want to realise the international climate ambitions.
“This is because especially in the coming years, there will not be enough green hydrogen to meet the demand. We’ll need every possible solution. We therefore focus not only on green but also on blue, just as we don’t only look at local production but also at imports.”
Bjørgulf Haukelidsæter Eidesen, CEO of Horisont Energi, added, “We’re excited to be working with the Port of Rotterdam to provide Europe with clean hydrogen and ammonia, while at the same time opening up a new and sustainable production region in the Barents Sea area for clean ammonia.”
