STORY / PUBLIC SOURCE RECORD
Hydrogen and ammonia: Norway building a complete value chain
- Published 15 December 2022; updated 30 September 2026; estimated reading time 5 minutes. The article describes Norwegian clusters mapping coastal ferry, fast-boat, shipping and offshore routes that batteries cannot cover, to plan hydrogen/ammonia supply chains. Ocean Hyway Cluster CEO Kristin Svardal says the route analysis estimated potential to reduce CO₂ by 1.17 million tonnes by replacing oil- and gas-fuelled vessels and calculated demand for 39,000 tonnes of hydrogen by 2035. These are project estimates, not measured outcomes.
- Hydrogen and ammonia can be zero-emission at point of use, but their lifecycle footprint depends on production. Ammonia is hydrogen chemically bound, has established production and logistics chains (including for fertiliser), and higher energy density can suit longer-range/larger ships. Hydrogen may be better where vessel weight matters, such as high-speed craft. Fuel selection depends on vessel and route profile.
- Maritime CleanTech coordinated the EU-funded ShipFC project to install a 2 MW ammonia solid-oxide fuel cell on the offshore support vessel Viking Energy, operated for Equinor. The article’s plan was a 12-month trial with at least 3,000 fuel-cell operating hours. Partners named: Alma Clean Power, Eidesvik Offshore, Equinor, Wärtsilä Norway and Yara International, alongside European firms and research bodies. The page-era description identifies ShipFC funding from the Clean Hydrogen Partnership/Horizon 2020 and Hydrogen Europe.
- A separate “Value Chain for Green Liquid Hydrogen” project, funded through Norway’s Pilot-E scheme, aimed to build maritime liquid-hydrogen supply infrastructure. It was led by grid/energy company BKK with Equinor and Air Liquide. The article notes liquid hydrogen must be stored at about −266°C and presents transport, storage, bunkering and fuelling as engineering challenges, while drawing on Norwegian LNG experience. Ocean Hyway Cluster’s HyInfra project examines compressed hydrogen, liquid hydrogen and ammonia.
- The page identifies the technology as feasible but says commercial structures and market scale are major barriers. Interviewees Kristin Svardal and then-Maritime CleanTech CEO Hege Økland call for active policy, finance and public procurement to create demand and scale green-fuel markets. The page notes Økland left her role in October 2022 and later became CEO of Hy2gen Norway. MF Hydra is identified as a liquid-hydrogen ferry then in service in southwestern Norway.
- Related links: Ocean Hyway Cluster, ShipFC, maritime hydrogen infrastructure and Pilot-E. Related industries: Energy, Maritime and Hydrogen. No direct contact block is shown.