Posted on August 12, 2021
The Port of Rotterdam has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Horisont Energi regarding the setting up of a corridor for transport of blue ammonia from Norway to Rotterdam.
Horisont Energi and the port 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 North-western Europe.
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.”
Then final investment decision for the production of blue ammonia at the Barents Blue project is expected towards the end of 2022.
Blue ammonia could be shipped to Rotterdam by 2025 and, once operational, Barents Blue will have a production capacity of 3,000 tonnes of ammonia per day, or 1m tonnes per year.
In addition to being a key industrial gas globally in the fertiliser and chemical sector, ammonia is a very efficient hydrogen carrier.
This makes net zero CO2 emission ammonia one of the most promising fuels for decarbonisation of the shipping industry.
Bjørgulf Haukelidsæter Eidesen, CEO of Horisont Energi, said: “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.”
With some 13% of total energy demand in Europe entering the EU via Rotterdam, the port acts as an energy hub for western Europe.
Port of Rotterdam has the ambition to be net zero CO2 emission in 2050 while at the same time maintaining its pivotal role in the European energy system.
The demand in Rotterdam is expected to be up to 20m tonnes of hydrogen, equivalent to 100m tonnes of ammonia, in 2050 according to the Port of Rotterdam’s estimates.
