Luxcara says preparatory work for its Bodø electrolysis plant is underway in Norway, with commercial operations set to begin in 2026, while ACWA Power and Snam have signed an agreement to deliver hydrogen from Saudi Arabia to Europe.
Luxcara has made a final investment decision for its hydrogen project in Norway. The electrolysis plant in Bodø municipality will have 20 MW of capacity in the first phase, producing up to 3,100 tons of green hydrogen per year. In phase two, the company will add another 10 MW. Luxcara and GreenH secured a grant of NOK 129 million ($11.4 million) from Enova, a state-owned company, in December 2024. “Preparatory work is already underway on site, and commercial operation is scheduled to begin in 2026”, said Germany-based Luxcara. The green hydrogen produced will be made available to a local ferry service, which is also scheduled to start operating in 2026. It said the Bodø project will be the first project to supply pressurized green hydrogen directly from a plant to a seagoing vessel.
ACWA Power has signed a memorandum of understanding with Snam to set up a green hydrogen supply chain from Saudi Arabia to Europe. The companies will also evaluate developing an ammonia import terminal in Italy to facilitate hydrogen delivery through the SoutH2 Corridor, a 3,300 km route reaching central Europe via Italy, Austria, and Germany. ACWA Power and Snam said they will consider joint investments.
Storag Etzel has started injecting the first quantities of hydrogen into two caverns in Friedeburg, Germany, with a planned total of 90 tons at a maximum pressure of 170 bar. “The gaseous hydrogen delivered at a pressure of 300 bar by truck trailers displaces the brine from the caverns during storage via the cavern head and borehole piping suitable for hydrogen,” said the German company, noting that the Etzel caverns are scalable and flexible. Up to three truckloads of hydrogen will arrive every week until the summer. A total of about 200 truckloads will be needed to fill the caverns with hydrogen.
Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE) said that the lifecycle assessment for hydrogen technologies depends on hydrogen’s role in the future energy mix. The German research institution is now offering the analysis to clients for hydrogen and its derivatives, such as methanol, ammonia, dimethyl ether (DME), and synthetic fuels like kerosene.