This week, Yara, Aker and Statkraft launched the new company HEGRA, enabling large-scale green ammonia production and future distribution for maritime use.
The new company aims to electrify and decarbonize Yara’s ammonia plant at Herøya in Norway. «HEGRA» is short for HErøya GReen Ammonia and is co-owned by Yara, Aker Clean Hydrogen, and Statkraft, each owning 1/3.
Green ammonia: crucial to enable zero-emission operations
The new company is established to take a leading role in the green transition and a growing global hydrogen economy. Green ammonia, produced using renewable energy, is not least a promising zero-emission fuel for the maritime sector.
CEO Hege Økland in Maritime CleanTech took part at the launch of HEGRA at Herøya this week:
– The innovative plans for Yara’s plant at Herøya will be crucial for our maritime industry to enable zero-emission operations. HEGRA will play an important role in demonstrating the production and future deliverance of green ammonia as a maritime fuel. This can support a further increase in the production and commercialization of ammonia as one of the preferred future zero-emission fuels in shipping.
Addressing European ambitions
Yara is also part of the EU-funded ShipFC project, where the partners aim to demonstrate that long-range zero-emission voyages with high power on larger ships are possible. The project will see an offshore vessel, Viking Energy, owned and operated by Eidesvik, retrofitted with a 2MW ammonia fuel cell. The project will use green ammonia produced by Yara.
Tore Boge, project manager for ShipFC, welcome the news:
– The HEGRA launch is very inspiring and interesting to follow for the whole ShipFC consortia, and the shipping industry in general. Through our project, we aim to address existing challenges for making ammonia a viable solution for the maritime industry, such as incentivizing green ammonia production through developing solutions for maritime bunkering. HEGRA represents a concrete initiative that will play an important role in developing a market for green ammonia.
Auke Lont, Chair of HEGRA’s Board, said in a joint statement at the launch of the company, that HEGRA is geared specifically at meeting the ambition of the European Commission’s «Fit for 55» package, which aims to reduce EU emissions by 55 per cent by 2030.
