Norway’s Enova has awarded grants totaling nearly $83 million for zero-emission shipping and technology including seven ammonia ships, two hydrogen ships, five electric ships and one charging facility.
Enova, a state enterprise owned by the Ministry of Climate and Environment, is charged with promoting a shift towards more environmentally friendly energy consumption and production, and the development of energy and climate technology.
“Hydrogen and ammonia will be important energy carriers in the green shift, and the focus on green shipping is right and necessary,” said Tore O. Sandvik, Minister of Climate and Environment. “It creates jobs all over the country and helps Norwegian business and industry to compete at the top of the world.” He said the government had almost tripled Enova’s allocation since it was launched in 2021.
This year, Enova said it has supported 11 hydrogen vessels and 13 ammonia vessels. It received a total of 31 applications and is granting support for nine. The program plans two calls a year for hydrogen and ammonia programs in 2025 and 2026.
“With this, the Norwegian maritime industry is taking new important steps towards zero-emission shipping,” said Nils Kristian Nakstad, CEO of Enova. “In order to build up this value chain, it is important to have both a sufficient number of vessels and the production and bunkering of hydrogen and ammonia. This is an important step in realizing the 2030 initiative, which will be a springboard for the transition towards 2050.”
In November, the organization granted support to five hydrogen production projects to ensure that hydrogen becomes available as a fuel along the Norwegian coast.
In addition, Enova is supporting five electric vessels and one dedicated charging facility under the “Battery in zero-emission ships” scheme, with a total grant of nearly $25 million. These projects are expected to will reduce emissions from Norwegian shipping annually by more than 5,000 tons of CO2.
Andreas Forsnes Jahn, Senior Advisor at Enova said the projects show the potential for battery operation and can pave the way for increased electrification of short sea shipping.
