Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has inaugurated Yara International’s 24 MW renewable hydrogen plant at Herøya Industrial Park in Norway.
Yara said it is now producing renewable hydrogen and ammonia and it has already delivered the first tonnes of fertilizers made from renewable ammonia produced at this plant.
Svein Tore Holsether, President and CEO of Yara, commented: “This is a major milestone for Yara and for the decarbonization of the food value chain, shipping fuel and other energy intensive industries… We are very pleased to have delivered the first tonnes of low-carbon footprint fertilizers to Lantmännen, a partnership which serves as a concrete example of how collaboration across the entire food value chain is required to decarbonize. Together, we have made this important step towards decarbonizing hard to abate sectors.”
To note, the low-carbon footprint fertilizers produced and delivered will be part of a new portfolio called Yara Climate Choice. Yara revealed that in addition to fertilizers produced with electrolysis of water and renewable energy, fertilizers based on low-carbon ammonia produced using carbon capture storage (CCS) will be a part of Yara’s portfolio going forward.
Hans Olav Raen, CEO of Yara Clean Ammonia, stated: “Renewable ammonia is an important part of the decarbonization puzzle, however developing it at scale takes time. As the world is rapidly approaching 2030, we are also working to produce low-carbon ammonia with CCS to enable the hydrogen economy and develop the emerging markets for low-emission ammonia.”
Holsether added: “The world needs to act urgently on multiple fronts to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement, and CCS is a critical stepping stone to decarbonize rapidly and profitably. The green transition will require investments, predictable framework conditions, massive build-out of renewable energy and grid, continuously advancing technology, and a maturing market where demand and supply are developed simultaneously. The companies who take this seriously will have a competitive advantage.”
To remind, Yara and engineering major Linde joined in on the construction of a 24 MW green hydrogen demonstration plant back in 2022.