Esso Norge, Grieg Edge, North Ammonia and GreenH have signed a letter of intent to study the potential production and distribution of green hydrogen and ammonia. The gases will be used by the maritime sector at Esso Norge’s terminal at Slagentangen, near Tønsberg.
The study will assess whether it is possible to have an annual production of up to 20,000 tonnes of green hydrogen and distribute up to 100,000 tonnes of green ammonia per year. Hydrogen will be produced by electrolysis, using electricity from Norwegian hydropower.
“We believe Slagentangen is the best point for hydrogen production in the Oslofjord. Due to the high costs associated with transporting hydrogen, it will provide a competitive advantage to have production in the same place as consumption. It is difficult to get any closer to consumption than at Slagentangen. Here, we would be able to offer bunkering of hydrogen straight from the plant,” says Morten S. Watle, CEO of GreenH.
Now, hydrogen and ammonia can become the new reality at Slagentangen. Slagentangen’s location, at the entrance to the Oslofjord, makes it a particularly suitable site for hydrogen production. DNV estimates that the Norwegian market for emission-free hydrogen will grow from nearly nothing today to 64,000 tonnes in 2030.
The refinery at Slagentangen, in the Municipality of Tønsberg, was Scandinavia’s largest when it was officially opened by Einar Gerhardsen in 1961. At its peak, the 900-acre site processed 5.6 million tonnes of petroleum a year, before refinery operations were discontinued in 2021.
“Hydrogen has the potential to significantly reduce CO2 emissions in important sectors that are otherwise difficult to decarbonise. This study will assess whether Esso Norge’s facilities at Slagentangen can establish activities that will help reduce emissions from the Norwegian maritime sector and thus contribute to achieving society’s ambitions to cut emissions,” says Per-Erik Aasum, CEO of Esso Norge.