ExxonMobil’s Slagen terminal to become a low-emissions hub

ExxonMobil, Grieg Edge, North Ammonia, and GreenH join forces

The four organisations will explore options to transform Exxon’s existing Slagen terminal into a production & distribution hub for renewable ammonia and hydrogen maritime fuels. The terminal itself is already powered with hydroelectricity from Norway’s grid, and the organisations have identified the potential to produce 200,000 tonnes of electrolytic hydrogen production per year at the site, as well as distributing 100,000 tonnes per year of renewable ammonia. The trio of Norwegian organisations will contribute their expertise in sustainable maritime transport (eg. the MS Green Ammonia project), hydrogen infrastructure, and green hydrogen and ammonia project development.

The new plan builds on a hydrogen roadmap released twelve months ago by the Norwegian government. Slagen will potentially be one of five maritime-focused hydrogen hubs established on Norway’s coast by 2025, as the country pushes for net-zero emissions by 2050. Slagen is strategically positioned at the entrance to the Oslofjord , with 10,000 ships passing through every year in the shipping lanes leading to Norway’s capital city.

There is high value in producing green hydrogen close to where consumption is. At Slagen, bunkering of hydrogen could be offered straight from the production facility.

GreenH CEO Morten Watle in ExxonMobil’s official press release, 24 June 2022

This MOU underlines our strategy to make ammonia available where there is market demand. We will also assess the potential distribution of ammonia from production facilities south of Slagen.

North Ammonia CEO Vidar Lundberg in ExxonMobil’s official press release, 24 June 2022

Exxon’s ammonia plans

The press release also details Exxon’s plans for low-carbon ammonia: two large-scale production hubs (one each in the US and the UK), and shipping ammonia long distance as an energy carrier. Exxon is also a partner in an emerging project in China: a CCS hub in Guangdong Province, with the potential to sequester ten million tonnes of CO2 emissions each year.

ExxonMobil is planning to build one of North America’s largest low-carbon hydrogen production facilities at its Baytown, Texas petrochemical complex and is also studying potential for a similar facility at its Southampton Fawley complex in the United Kingdom.

ExxonMobil is exploring opportunities to use ammonia as a low-emission and high-efficiency energy carrier, particularly to ship and store hydrogen over long distances.

Further ammonia energy details from ExxonMobil’s official press release, 24 June 2022