ABB Joins Offshore Wind-to-Hydrogen Project in Sweden

Outlook & Strategy

May 8, 2023, by Adnan Memija

ABB has announced that it will collaborate with Lhyfe and Skyborn to jointly realise and optimise SoutH2Port renewable hydrogen project located in Sweden.

Together with Lhyfe and Skyborn, ABB will drive large-scale integration of the production of offshore wind renewable energy hydrogen into the energy system in the SoutH2Port project.

As part of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the companies, ABB will apply critical expertise to optimise the integration of hydrogen and electricity production across the entire ecosystem including automation, electrical, and digital technologies, and drive the development of scalable, commercial energy transition projects in and around the region.

The partners said that the goal is to explore opportunities to tie in Power-to-X conversion technologies turning renewably sourced electricity into carbon-neutral energy carriers, such as hydrogen, and sorting the energy for later use.

The new hydrogen production plant, operated by Lhyfe and Skyborn, will be located in the municipality of Söderhamn, Sweden.

The facility will be connected to Skyborn’s 1 GW offshore wind farm in nearby Storgrundet. When fully operational, it is expected to produce about 240 tonnes of hydrogen per day, with an installed capacity of 600 MW, making it one of the largest suppliers of renewable hydrogen in Europe.

The potential for realizing the project at full scale is linked to the development of further processing and/or use of green hydrogen in the same area. The project also sees great potential for connecting to the Nordic Hydrogen Backbone. The various industries and ongoing projects located in the surrounding region represent many potential offtakes for the renewable hydrogen that will be produced on site.

According to the partners, the new plant will support the decarbonisation of the Swedish energy system, either directly with hydrogen supply or by further downstream production of refined fuels such as methanol, sustainable aviation fuel, or ammonia – contributing to the government’s plans to become the world’s first fossil-free country by 2045.

“Creating a seamless supply chain, through partnerships such as these, is essential to accelerate the energy transition. Hydrogen plays a crucial role in helping achieve the world’s climate goals when it comes to decarbonizing the industrial and transportation sectors”, said Brandon Spencer, President of ABB Energy Industries.