Provaris Energy Ltd has completed a concept design study that reaffirms the energy efficiency and cost advantages of its compressed hydrogen supply chain for marine transport within Europe. The study, which is the fourth in a series of techno-economic analyses by Provaris, examined bulk-scale hydrogen export and import compression facilities, highlighting the low energy use and capital costs of the compressed hydrogen approach compared to other hydrogen carriers like ammonia.
Key Findings:
- The study was based on a 540MW capacity export site capable of producing 10 tonnes of hydrogen per hour, with intra-Europe shipping covering 1,000 nautical miles using the H2Neo carrier.
- The energy required for compression was found to be minimal, with only 1.5 kWh per kilogramme of hydrogen for storage and loading at the export terminal, and 0.2 kWh/kg for unloading at the import terminal.
- Compression energy usage constituted just 2.8 percent of the total power requirement for the export site, allowing 97.2 percent of the power to be used for hydrogen production via electrolysis.
- The capital cost for the compression facilities was estimated at €120 million, which is less than 7 percent of the total capital expenditure for the hydrogen supply chain.
- Compared to ammonia synthesis, which requires 7.5 kWh/kg of hydrogen, compression uses significantly less energy, leading to approximately 50 percent more hydrogen volume delivered to customers.
Cost Competitiveness:
- The study indicated that the delivered cost of hydrogen via compression could be around €6/kg, about 20 percent lower than hydrogen delivered via ammonia, which costs approximately €7.4/kg after cracking back to hydrogen.
- The findings align with recent European hydrogen auctions, including the EU Hydrogen Bank and Germany’s H2Global pilot, which show hydrogen supply costs ranging from €6 to €10 per kilogramme.
Garry Triglavcanin, product development director at Provaris, emphasised that the study supports the feasibility and benefits of using compression for marine transportation of hydrogen, noting the approach’s superior energy efficiency and capital cost advantage. Provaris plans to use the study’s results to support further feasibility studies for specific export and import sites in Europe, including locations in Norway, the Nordics, and the Port of Rotterdam.
Provaris Energy Ltd, headquartered in Sydney with a European office in Oslo, continues to advance its vision of integrating green hydrogen projects across Europe, leveraging innovative compressed hydrogen storage and transport solutions to establish an early-mover advantage in the regional maritime trade of hydrogen.
For more information visit www.provaris.energy
