Provaris Energy seeks first mover advantage in storage and transport of compressed hydrogen
Provaris Energy Ltd., an early mover in integrated green hydrogen projects, has set its sights on advancing production & export supply projects in Australia and Norway.
The company was set up in 2017 to focus on compressed natural gas solutions but pivoted to hydrogen in 2021 with the award of AIP (approval in principle) on two proprietary compressed hydrogen carriers.
Provaris is now focused on developing integrated hydrogen projects in two key regional markets strategically positioned based on bulk-scale shipping range (1,000 to 3,000 nautical miles).
The company recently took a further step forward in the quest to become a major contributor to the European Union’s 2030 green hydrogen target by starting a prototype tank testing program for its proprietary H2Neo compressed gas hydrogen carrier and H2Leo floating storage solution.
Subsidiary Provaris Norway AS has awarded a contract to Norwegian-based Prodtex AS for the design and construction of the tank prototype, alongside SINTEF, Norway’s leading independent research organisation, which will provide the testing.
Completion of the program will pave the way for the company to seek the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and Det Norske Veritas (DNV) certification and final class approvals for the H2Neo carrier in the first quarter of next year.
Collaborating with Prodtex, Provaris’ aim is to develop a full-scale production line in Norway for operations in 2025, delivering a cash flow generating business.
270 MW FjordH2 hydrogen project
Provaris has signed a collaboration agreement with Norwegian Hydrogen AS to jointly advance and develop the 270 MW FjordH2 hydrogen project at Ørskog in the Ålesund municipality, Norway.
At present, the 270-megawatt FjordH2 project is set to become one of the largest production facilities for green hydrogen in the entire Nordic region, with an expected annual production capacity of 40,000 tonnes of green hydrogen by 2030.
The project is well positioned to respond to the European Union’s REPowerEU Plan, which is targeting diversified sources of clean energy in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and subsequent energy supply disruptions.
The pre-feasibility study (PFS) for the project was completed in March 2023 with a target FID (final investment decision) in late-2024.
European hydrogen supply chain
Gen2 Energy AS and Provaris have inked an ambitious collaboration agreement in June 2023 to develop a large-scale hydrogen supply chain across Europe.
The partnership will conduct a comprehensive PFS to determine the technical and economic viability of producing and supplying compressed green hydrogen from the hydrogen project in Åfjord to European ports, using Provaris' marine storage and shipping solutions.
The two companies share the conviction that Åfjord, with its access to low-cost renewable energy and existing industrial infrastructure, is an ideal location for large-scale production of green hydrogen and subsequent supply to key European ports.
The joint initiative will benefit from Gen2 Energy's focus on domestic supply and export to European markets and Provaris’ expertise in providing innovative integrated bulk-scale storage and marine transportation solutions for green hydrogen.
Tiwi H2 green hydrogen export project
Provaris continues to advance its Tiwi H2 green hydrogen export project in the Tiwi Islands of Australia's Northern Territory, with the completion of the design feasibility report for the proposed solar farm and transmission system.
The report by CE Partners advances the concept design of the solar farm and transmission system to a 30% level, which provides the basis for optioneering and design optimisation.
The report's key findings have revealed that the proposed 2,640-hectare Solar Precinct area has the capacity to support 2,600 megawatt peak (MWp) of solar capacity, with the preferred solar system being a single-axis tracking system.
Furthermore, annual generation is assessed to be in excess of 5,000 gigawatt hours (GWh), which will be delivered via a proposed four-circuit, 275kV transmission line stretching 30 kilometres from the Solar Precinct to the hydrogen production and export precincts.
Based on the generation outcomes, Provaris has revised the expected peak hydrogen production and export volume for the Tiwi H2 project to 90,000 tonnes per annum (tpa).
Key focus for 2023
- Mature a portfolio of export projects from the Nordic region;
- execute JDA and advance FjordH2 project (Norway) to FEED;
- complete prefeasibility for Afjord Project (Norway);
- secure industrial partners: offtake, port and pipeline agreements;
- H2Neo prototype tank program; and
- Tiwi H2 EIS submission, JV partner, offtake and RFP for EPC.
Similar News
