The ferry company Norled and the hydrogen infrastructure company GreenH have signed a letter of intent for the supply of hydrogen to Norled’s Finnøy ferry in Rogaland. This will be one of the first hydrogen ferries in the world and the first ferry connection in Norway that will use locally produced green hydrogen.
The hydrogen technology for Norled’s Finnøy ferry is currently under development in the European FLAGSHIPS innovation project. The ferry will use compressed hydrogen in gaseous form that is stored on board.
The hydrogen will be produced at the quayside in the Municipality of Strand so that the ferry can bunker directly from the plant. The plant will be one of the first hydrogen plants of its kind and has been developed in collaboration with SINTEF and Norconsult.
“By producing and delivering the hydrogen locally, we minimise the need for transport, which both reduces costs and is good for the environment,” says Morten Solberg Watle, CEO of GreenH AS.
There are also plans to use the GreenH plant as a pilot for the production of small-scale liquid hydrogen (LH2) for maritime use, becoming the first in the world.
“It’s always challenging to be the first company in an early market, but we want to lead the way. In addition to funding from the EU and Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) we are in dialogue with Enova, the Municipality of Strand, the NOx Fund and Innovation Norway, in addition to several others. Their support is important,” says Hilde-Kristin Sæter, Project Manager at Norled.