“We are progressing according to plan,” says Torstein Thorsen Ekern, CEO of Greenstat.
In February, Greenstat made the final investment decision to develop a 20MW plant at Fiskå. Construction will commence in August/September this year, and the factory is expected to be operational by the end of 2026.
The project is strategically located for a growing market for hydrogen. Once the plant is operational, it will be possible to offer green hydrogen as a carbon-free maritime fuel for traffic along the Norwegian coast and in the North Sea basin. Pending market growth and available power, the Kristiansand plant can be expanded with an additional 40 MW.
“Agder is a Norwegian center of gravity for hydrogen and ammonia. In addition to five known projects, and the long-standing hydrogen production facility at Glencore in Kristiansand, several regional players have announced that they are working on new hydrogen projects,” says Tanja Erichsen, Head of the Agder H2 Cluster.
She is particularly excited to see the construction of the Greenstat hydrogen production facility, since it is the first of what could become a series of newbuilds.
“There are many Norwegian hydrogen projects, however almost no investment decisions have been made. Here, Agder stands out. In the last few months alone, companies in our region have decided to build two production plants for hydrogen. Hardly anyone has come further than Agder,” says Erichsen.
The other investment decision she is referring to was made by utility Å Energi earlier this year. Å Energi will build its first hydrogen production plant at Kongsberg, Norway, adjacent to the Pikerfoss hydropower plant. Operational in 2025, the pilot plant will produce 280 tons of hydrogen annually.
The combination of hydropower and hydrogen is very interesting for Å Energi. The utility has 70 hydropower plants in its portfolio, half of them are run-of-river plants, and 20-25 have been identified as well suited for hydrogen production.
The Agder H2 Cluster comprises close to 200 companies. The network brings together companies from all over Norway – but mostly from Agder – that play, or aspire to play, a role in the hydrogen industry. Contact Tanja Erichsen to join the network. www.agderh2.no
Five known hydrogen projects in Agder
- Kvinesdal: Hydrogen (Kvina Energy Park)
- Kvinesdal: Hydrogen and ammonia (Å Energi)
- Kristiansand: Hydrogen (Greenstat)
- Lillesand: Hydrogen (Greenstat)
- Arendal: Hydrogen and ammonia (North Ammonia)
