Norway opens Europe's 'largest' 24 MW green hydrogen-cum-ammonia plant

Norwegian firm Yara International has recently opened its 24 MW renewable hydrogen plant at Herøya,  Norway, producing green hydrogen and ammonia, also delivering the first tonnes of fertilizers made from clean ammonia produced at the facility. 

Inagurated by the Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre on June 10, the facility is claimed by the company as the largest of its kind currently in operation in Europe. The hydrogen produced with the electrolysis of water and renewable energy, replacing natural gas as feedstock, annually cuts about 41,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions from the site. 

"This is a major milestone for Yara and for the decarbonization of the food value chain, shipping fuel and other energy intensive industries," commented Svein Tore Holsether, President & CEO of Yara. 

"We are very pleased to have delivered the first tonnes of low-carbon footprint fertilizers to Lantmännen, a partnership which serves as a concrete example of how collaboration across the entire food value chain is required to decarbonize. Together, we have made this important step towards decarbonizing hard to abate sectors," Holsether added. 

According to media reports, ITM Power has supplied its 'TRIDENT' PEM electrolyser stack platform for the project, with the development and construction undertaken by Linde Engineering. 

The fertilizers with low carbon footprint, under Yara's new portfolio called 'Yara Climate Choice', will benefit crops and contribute to decarbonization of food value chain, according to the company. Fertilizers based on low-carbon ammonia produced using carbon capture storage (CCS) will also be a large part of Yara's portfolio. 

"Renewable ammonia is an important part of the decarbonization puzzle, however developing it at scale takes time. As the world is rapidly approaching 2030, we are also working to produce low-carbon ammonia with CCS to enable the hydrogen economy and develop the emerging markets for low-emission ammonia," said Hans Olav Raen, CEO of Yara Clean Ammonia.

The company originally received $31.48 million investment for the development of Herøya Industrial Park back in 2021.