Norway’s Hoegh Evi is partnering with a French port on a project to build a floating import terminal for hydrogen that could be in place by the end of this decade.
Energy infrastructure provider Hoegh Evi said today that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Port-La Nouvelle on France’s south-west Mediterranean coastline.
The new partners plan to develop infrastructure to import up to 210,000-tonnes per annum of hydrogen from 2030 and are collaborating on a feasibility assessment and design of the infrastructure solution within the port.
The hydrogen will be imported from producers located in the Middle East, North Africa and the Americas.
Hoegh Evi said that while the project is still at an early stage it is envisaged that a traditional marine asset would be used as the floating import terminal.
Under the plan, the floating import terminal will connect Port-La Nouvelle to major hydrogen transport infrastructures.
The exact timeline for the project will be dependent on “the readiness of France’s hydrogen pipeline”, Hoegh Evi said.
Green ammonia cracker
In June Hoegh Evi, then Hoegh LNG, announced that it had paired with Germany’s Deutsche ReGas on the first floating green ammonia cracker that will deliver hydrogen into the German grid by 2026
The two companies signed a letter of intent for a new terminal that will be based at Deutsche ReGas’ terminal site in the port of Lubmin.
Speaking about the company’s new French partner today, Hoegh Evi president and chief executive Erik Nyheim said: “With its strategic location and well-established marine infrastructure, Port-La Nouvelle is ideally positioned to become a key entry point for hydrogen and low-carbon fuels.
“Together we are driving the energy transition forward by establishing a crucial hub for clean energy in Europe,” Nyheim added.
SEMOP Port-La Nouvelle chief executive Hans Kerstens said the goal is to turn the French port into “the European gateway hub in the Mediterranean for hydrogen”.
“In recent years, the port of Port-La Nouvelle has made significant investments to expand and prepare the port for the future. Our focus is to become an enabler in the green energy transition,” Kerstens said.
“The port of Port-La Nouvelle is eager to accommodate new types of traffic, particularly those associated with renewable energies and especially those linked to hydrogen molecules.”
