CorPower Ocean joins project to develop wave energy-powered green ammonia production

SwitcH2 is partnering with CorPower Ocean to deliver an industrial scale floating green ammonia production facility partially powered by wave energy (Credit: SwitcH2, CorPower Ocean)

CorPower Ocean is partnering with project development company SwitcH2 to deliver an industrial-scale floating green ammonia production facility partially powered by wave energy.

With backing from Norway-based BW Offshore and Dutch Oceans Capital, SwitcH2 is leading the development of industrial-scale offshore green hydrogen and green ammonia production units based on FPSO (floating production, storage, and offloading) technologies. The concept, which sees electrolyzers powered by a mix of renewables including wind and solar, will now incorporate wave energy for a greater balance of green electricity.

“Wave energy is one of the largest untapped energy sources in the world. It’s renewable, accessible, and abundant,” said CorPower Ocean commercial director Kevin Rebenius. “Crucially, it’s also highly consistent bringing greater stability to the clean energy mix, enabling 24/7 renewable electricity supply allowing industrial processes like this to run at high utilization.”

Supported by grant funding from the Dutch Government’s GroenvermogenNL TSE (Top Sector Energie) scheme, SwitcH2 is aiming to launch a new open-sea project in northern Portugal utilizing CorPower Ocean’s wave energy technology.

SwitcH2’s NH3-FPSO unit involves the use of a newly built vessel, nearly the size of a VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier), to support a 300MW electrolysis plant on deck. The final output is green ammonia, which is temporarily stored in pressurized tanks in the vessel and then exported to shore via dedicated shuttle carriers. The floating facility is expected to reach an annual production capacity of almost 300 kton of green ammonia – enough to fuel multiple oceangoing vessels for a full year. The project anticipates green ammonia production by 2029.

With an established role in the global fertilizer market, the green ammonia market is expected to grow from USD 0.7 billion in 2024 to USD 55 billion by 2032, the companies said. Because of its high energy density and ease of storage, green ammonia could help decarbonize the global shipping industry, which is responsible for roughly 3% of global emissions.

In October, CorPower Ocean announced the largest single investment in its wave energy technology after securing EUR €32m ($34 million USD) Series B1 funding. CorPower Ocean currently has operations in Sweden, Norway, Portugal, and Scotland, and is expanding to the US West Coast. Established in 2012, CorPower Ocean has now secured EUR €95m ($103 million USD) in funding from private and public investors and demonstrated four generations of its technology.

Wave farm projects are being developed by customers using CorPower Ocean’s technology along the Atlantic Arc, including sites in Scotland, Ireland, Portugal, and Norway. One project is being developed by Ireland’s state-owned energy supplier, ESB, off the coast of County Clare, following two decades of investigating a wide variety of technologies. The pre-commercial phase of the Saoirse Wave project will involve CorPower Ocean WECs (Wave Energy Converters) as part of a CorPack cluster. The project has secured EUR 39.4m co-funding from the EU Innovation Fund.

In February, CorPower Ocean’s C4 WEC completed the first cycle of the ocean commissioning program at the Agucadoura site in northern Portugal. Now proven at commercial scale, CorPower Ocean’s C4 device has demonstrated the ability to tune and detune according to varying sea states, limiting response to extreme storm waves (up to 18.5 m) while amplifying motion and power capture in regular waves using novel phase control technology.

The progression marks a crucial milestone for wave energy addressing the two major obstacles that have hampered commercial adoption – survivability and efficient power generation in normal ocean conditions, CorPower Ocean said. The inflection point provides a firm signal of wave energy’s readiness for widescale adoption.

Earlier this year, Enlit on the Road visited CorPower Ocean’s test site in Viana do Castelo and spoke to the company’s managing director, Miguel Silva, to learn more about the technology, the lessons they have learned on the development path and why Portugal makes for the perfect test site.

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