STORY / PUBLIC SOURCE RECORD
Groundbreaking Norwegian project to replace coal with green hydrogen
- Published 12 September 2023; updated 30 September 2026; estimated reading time 4 minutes. The page profiles an Eramet Norway project at the Tizir Titanium and Iron (TTI) plant in Tyssedal, Hardanger, to replace coal with green hydrogen as a reducing agent in ilmenite processing. TTI makes titanium slag for pigments and high-purity pig iron for European foundries. The article says the pilot was the first of its kind and had potential to reduce production CO₂.
- Project Manager Jorulf Kyrkeeide gives projected reductions of 82% in carbon emissions and 35% in energy use, eliminating 100,000 tonnes of coal and potentially increasing production by up to 50%. These are project expectations stated in the article, not independently verified outcomes. The project received EU Important Project of Common European Interest status and EUR 26 million from Enova. The plan described two phases—pilot studies followed by a Tyssedal demonstration plant—each expected to take four years.
- TTI was projected to need 10,000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually. The Hardanger Hydrogen Hub was a development programme for local electrolysis using hydropower, together with storage, consumption and distribution. The article’s schedule said production could start in 2023 and full-scale supply in 2029; because those dates are historical milestones/forecasts now past or future, the page does not establish current project status.
- The hub partners named are Statkraft, Eramet Titanium & Iron, TechnipFMC and Odda Technology, with funding from the Research Council of Norway and Innovation Norway. The article describes planned subsea hydrogen storage technology developed by TechnipFMC with Statkraft and future potential to supply oxygen to industry, fuel shipping and export surplus hydrogen. Innovation Norway hydrogen/ammonia/CCUS business developer Ivar-Jo Theien and Eramet project manager Kyrkeeide are quoted. Related industries: Industrial production, Energy and Hydrogen.