Energy partners plan to develop green ammonia with wave power

Rotterdam-based SwitcH2, an engineering company focused on developing offshore floating production systems for green hydrogen and green ammonia, and Sweden’s wave power specialist, CorPower Ocean, plan to build a new green ammonia production system on a vessel almost the size of a VLCC.

The first such unit is likely to be stationed off the coast of northern Portugal but the mobile assets could be sited in a range of locations in the future. They could be sited close to bunkering hubs to provide a ready supply of green ammonia as marine fuel.

The SwitcH2-designed ammonia FPSO unit is to have a 300MW electrolysis installation on deck. The green ammonia produced will be temporarily stored in pressurised tanks below deck before being transferred ashore by dedicated shuttle tankers. The floating facility is likely to produce close to 300 kilotonnes of green ammonia when the plant becomes operational by about 2029.

Ammonia is a key component in fertiliser and the partners expect the market in the green chemical to grow from $0.7bn in 2024 to $55bn by 2032. In its green form, it is also seen as a likely future marine fuel.

Saskia Kunst, Director and Co-founder of SwitcH2, commented: “We are extremely pleased with our collaboration with CorPower Ocean as integrating their promising wave energy adds economic benefits to our already competitive offshore production system. Jointly we look at a buoyant market for green ammonia which is set to expand six-fold between now and 2050. Our project will contribute to decarbonise also hard-to-abate sectors such as global shipping.

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“A floating production system is by definition a mobile asset which we will build where this is cheapest and which can be deployed around the globe, wherever we have access to attractively priced wind, wave, and/or solar energy,” she added.

CorPower Ocean Commercial Director, Kevin Rebenius, said: “Wave energy is one of the largest untapped energy sources in the world. It’s renewable, accessible, and abundant. Crucially, it’s also highly consistent bringing greater stability to the clean energy mix, enabling 24/7 renewable electricity supply allowing industrial processes like this to run at high utilisation. We look forward to working with fellow tech pioneer SwitcH2 with a shared vision for a cleaner, brighter future powered by renewables.”

Besides its headquarters in Sweden, CorPower Ocean also has offices in Norway, Portugal, and Scotland. Company executives believe that the consistency of wave power has the potential to bring consistency to the clean energy sector, making up shortfalls when the wind doesn’t blow and the sun fails to shine.

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