Yara and Linde to deliver green hydrogen demonstration plant in Norway

At Yara’s ammonia production facility in Herya Industripark in Porsgrunn, Norway, the company signed a contract with Linde Engineering for the construction and delivery of a green hydrogen demonstration plant.

The project, which is funded by an Enova grant worth NOK 283 million (announced in December 2021), will show that ammonia produced with renewable energy can reduce carbon dioxide emissions in fertilizer production.

Using proton exchange membrane (PEM) technology, the project will be realized through water electrolysis, which will produce green hydrogen to partially replace the hydrocarbon-based hydrogen production in Yara’s plant. This will be Linde Engineering’s second 24 MW PEM electrolysis plant; the first is currently under construction at the Leuna Chemical Complex in Germany.

“The project aims to supply the first green ammonia products to the market as early as mid-2023, both as fossil-free fertilizers, as well as emissions-free shipping fuel. Green ammonia is the key to reducing emissions from world food production and long-distance shipping. With this project, we move from intention to actions together with Linde Engineering and local contractors”, says Magnus Ankarstrand, President Yara Clean Ammonia.

The plant will produce around 10,000 kg of hydrogen per day on an annual basis. It will take the place of ethane as a raw material in production, resulting in a reduction of 41,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year, the equivalent of roughly 16,000 passenger vehicles.

The electricity will come from renewable sources and will produce enough hydrogen to produce 20,500 tonnes of ammonia per year, which can be converted into 60,000 to 80,000 tonnes of green fertilizer, roughly five times Norway’s annual wheat production.

Yara’s first step toward decarbonizing the ammonia industry will be this project.

“This project showcases Linde Engineering’s market leadership in electrolysis projects. Given the growing demand from the fertilizer industry for green hydrogen, this plant is a step towards further upscaling and increasing the size of these projects worldwide,” said John van der Velden, Senior Vice President Global Sales & Technology, Linde Engineering.

In addition to Linde, Yara will collaborate on this project with a large number of local suppliers in the Grenland region. This will help to create new jobs and provide valuable knowledge and experience for the green transition in the local area.