Norwegian consortium to introduce hydrogen-based shore power

A Norwegian consortium including PSW Power & Automation, Westgass Hydrogen, CCB and H2 Production, has been established to provide a hydrogen-based shore power solution to the maritime sector.

The system, designed by PSW, part of Norwegian industrial owner Scana, was piloted at CCB’s shipyard in Ågotnes this week on the platform supply vessel Havila Foresight chartered by Equinor.

PSW said its solution caters to the high capacity needs of major actors in the sector, such as supply vessels, cruise ships, drilling rigs and fish farms. It works by using clean hydrogen to drive fuel cell generators, which in turn generate high-capacity electricity that can be integrated into existing grid-connected facilities or work on a standalone basis.

Platform suppliers, cruise ships, drilling rigs and fish farms that rely heavily on diesel generators can each consume the equivalent of the power requirement of 400 to 500 houses for their onboard operations. Connecting to onshore power supply when docking at ports and shipyards is a preferred solution to reduce emissions, but CCB said it is facing significant challenges in meeting demand due to capacity constraints in the electricity grid.

A key component to delivering a complete end-to-end set up across Norway is the supply and distribution of clean hydrogen supply itself, which for this pilot was sourced by Westgass.

Future supply to Ågotnes will come from H2 Production’s energy park in Øygarden. This will be one of several establishments that take place as a consequence of hosting the liquefied CO2 terminal as part of the Longship project, funded 80% by the Norwegian government.