ABB to support development of floating ammonia production

By Julian Atchison on October 13, 2025

Automation and electrification for SwitcH2’s vessel

Graphic visualisation of SwitcH2’s floating ammonia production and storage vessel design.

Click to learn more. ABB will supply electrification solutions for SwitcH2’s floating ammonia production and storage vessel. Source: SwitcH2 Offshore.

ABB will engineer and supply automation and electrification technology solutions for SwitcH2’s under-development floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel. FEED work on the vessel will run into mid-2026, with FID to follow and then construction of the first ship in 2027. SwitcH2 and CorPower Ocean are currently working on the first deployment of the FPSO: a 243,000 tons per year ammonia production project off the coast of northern Portugal. Powered by a mixture of wind, solar and wave energy (including connection to Portugal’s national grid), the vessel will feature 300 MW of electrolysers.

ABB intends to deliver a prefabricated electrical distribution system, as well as a fully integrated control and safety system (ICSS), both of which can be integrated with the electrolyser (Ohmium) and ammonia synthesis (thyssenkrupp Uhde) technologies onboard the vessel. The FPSO will use treated seawater to feed the electrolysis units.

This collaboration represents a key step in advancing offshore production capabilities for next-generation marine fuels. By integrating ABB’s advanced electrification and automation systems, we are demonstrating how technology-driven partnerships can accelerate innovation, shaping the future of energy at sea.

Saskia Kunst, CEO of SwitcH2, in ABB’s official press release, 8 Oct 2025

As with other hard-to-abate industries, we are committed to helping the marine sector operate leaner and cleaner. Our leading technologies in automation and electrification will enable this project to run with greater efficiently. Green ammonia offers a technically viable method for decarbonizing marine transport, and this FPSO concept showcases how renewable energy can be leveraged to unlock low carbon energy value chains.

Per Erik Holsten, President of ABB’s Energy Industries division, in his organisation’s official press release, 8 Oct 2025

An international giant in the electrification space, ABB is involved in a series of other ammonia energy projects: