Norway’s Hydrogen Solutions (HYDS) and US-based GenH2 have announced a strategic partnership to produce liquid green hydrogen in Norway and the rest of the Nordic region. GenH2’s integrated liquefaction and storage technology will be supplied to the market via HYDS’ Liquiline subsidiary.

HYDS targets 85t of green hydrogen production in 2023. Its first two plants are already under construction at the Stord municipality and the town of Egersund in southwestern Norway, with planned startup in the first and second quarter of this year respectively.

“The solutions make it possible to produce liquid green hydrogen at competitive prices close to the users, without costly and complicated transport” Hagen, HYDS

“Solutions for scalable production of liquid green hydrogen in smaller volumes have not been commercially available in the market. The fully integrated solutions from GenH2 represent a game changer in this context,” says Thor Henrik W Hagen, CEO of HYDS. “The solutions make it possible to produce liquid green hydrogen at competitive prices close to the users, without costly and complicated transport. Especially in ship bunkering, this will open up exciting new opportunities.”

Hydrogen has a higher energy density when stored as a liquid compared with a compressed gas—potentially making it easier to transport and consume at end-use. However, liquid hydrogen must be kept at extremely cold temperatures to prevent boil-off, necessitating high energy consumption.

Additionally, liquid hydrogen requires specialised vessels to be shipped internationally. The Suiso Frontier, built by Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries, remains the only liquefied hydrogen carrier to have completed a voyage—a trial that has been embroiled in a safety controversy over a gas control malfunction that resulted in a brief flame on its deck.

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Author: Polly Martin