SANDNES, NORWAY - Horisont Energi AS has been awarded NOK 10 million by the Norwegian government-owned organization Enova. These funds will support the technology concept study for the Barents Blue ammonia project in Finnmark, Northern Norway. The Barents Blue project is the first large-scale greenfield blue ammonia plant in Europe and will include planned CO2 storage offshore. The development of an ultra-low emission design building upon Haldor Topsoe's innovative SynCOR AmmoniaTM technology will allow the facility to convert gas into blue ammonia with close to zero emissions, based on autothermal reforming. Ammonia is an easily transported hydrogen carrier, which can be converted back to hydrogen at the destination or used directly in many applications. "Together with Haldor Topsoe, we are in the process of developing a market-leading ammonia plant with respect to energy efficiency and zero carbon footprint. There are currently no large-scale ammonia production plants in the world using natural gas with close to zero carbon emissions. We are grateful for Enova's support in enabling us to break new technology ground, paving the way for a carbon-neutral energy future," said Bjørgulf Haukelidsæter Eidesen, CEO of Horisont Energi. Horisont Energi aims to be an integral part of the development of cost-leading blue ammonia and carbon storage services in Norway and internationally. The Barents Blue project aims to cut CO2 emissions throughout the ammonia production value chain by applying the SynCOR AmmoniaTM technology at a large scale, employing gas as close as possible to the extraction site, with minimal processing to ensure a negligible carbon footprint. The Barents Blue plant will produce more than 1 million tons of blue ammonia once operational in 2025. Through the selection of Haldor Topsoe, the project will get an experienced ammonia technology licensor that will follow the project into the operational phase and throughout the lifetime of the plant. "Our SynCOR AmmoniaTM technology is ideally suited to capture CO2 and coupled with Horisont Energi's astute selection of sites, it offers the world a unique and efficient energy supply with an extremely low carbon footprint. Ammonia offers not only a more efficient way to transport hydrogen, it is also indispensable as a fertilizer and a very promising clean marine fuel for the future. Ammonia will play a vital role in the quest to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, both in the short term and the long term, and the Barents Blue project is a very clever initiative to tap into this market at an early stage. We are very pleased to see Horisont Energi's efforts being recognised with the Enova award," said Nikolaj Knudsen, Senior Product Line Director at Haldor Topsoe. Hydrogen is an environment and climate-friendly energy carrier and even more so when packed as ammonia. Thus, hydrogen and ammonia technology hold significant de-carbonisation potential for the industry, transport and energy sectors. It allows close to zero-carbon production, storage and utilisation of energy. Developing hydrogen technology and markets is a key element of the European Union's plan to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. On April 21, 2021, Enova announced that Horisont Energi was one of five candidate hydrogen projects in Norway for possible participation in the Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) on hydrogen.

Horisont Energi Awarded NOK 10 Million For Concept Study From Enova For Barents Blue Project