Uniper inks deal on off-take hydrogen from Nordic projects

German energy company Uniper has secured a deal to off-take hydrogen from the export projects run by Norwegian Hydrogen and Provaris in the Nordic region. The three companies have recently signed a non-binding MoU in this regard, which is expected to strengthen the supply of green hydrogen from Nordics to the north-western Europe. 

Accordingly, Uniper will source RFNBO-compliant (Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin) compressed hydrogen in gaseous form, which will be transported by Provaris' GH2 carriers and GH2 storage barges for delivery in the ports in the North-western Europe.

In April this year, Provaris and Norwegian Hydrogen vowed to accelerate the development of new hydrogen export sites across the Nordic region, utilizing insights gained successful pre-development activities completed for the FjordH2 project. 

These hydrogen projects will be strategically located in areas with robust grid connections and power supplies, with hydrogen production and compression facilities to provide cost-competitive supply to Europe, they claimed. 

Commenting on the off-take agreement by Uniper, Jens Berge, CEO of Norwegian Hydrogen, said, "We remain highly committed to the collaboration we've had with Provaris since 2022, and I cannot think of a better offtake partner than Uniper to support the development of our joint projects. This new agreement is positive for all the three parties involved, and I am confident that it will bring strong and tangible results". 

The supply of hydrogen is key to energy security and decarbonization ambitions for German industrial sectors and the energy generators. Uniper claims that it is systematically evaluating various portfolio of alternatives and opportunities for hydrogen along the entire value chain, from production and trading to transport, storage and distribution in the German region.