Havnedag for Alle - Den 9. december kl. 16.30
Alle er velkomne. Lokation: Atriumhallen på Nordsøen Forskerpark
Ambitious plans in Hirtshals for green maritime fuels
Green fuels have the potential to become a North Jutland business adventure, because in the coming years fossil fuels must be replaced by green fuels. That is why Port of Hirtshals and Greenport North have just hosted a conference on the future of green fuels for the maritime industry. Experts discussed how to exploit the opportunities in, among other thing, hydrogen production and storage of CO2.
Shipping must significantly reduce emissions of greenhouse gases in the coming years, when the UN's maritime organisation IMO has adopted a goal of halving shipping's CO2 emissions by 2050, and fossil marine fuels must be replaced by green alternatives such as hydrogen and methanol. North Jutland can play a significant role in that conversion process, and yesterday Port of Hirtshals and Greenport North were behind a conference on green maritime fuels at the Nordsøen Forskerpark in Hirtshals.
Experts from a number of companies working with green conversion gave their take on how North Jutland can become a focal point to produce more climate-friendly fuels that can replace fossil energy sources on both large and small ships.
- We agree on the goal, namely to make all maritime fuel green. We know the various methods and technologies, and at the conference we were presented with a number of solutions from companies that are far ahead with, for example, methanol production, hydrogen production, Power-to-X as well as transport and storage of CO2 from biogas plants in North Jutland, says Steen Hintze, CEO at Greenport North and continues:
- The purpose of the conference was therefore not only to exchange knowledge and experience, and we had a very constructive discussion of the major perspectives in the development of green maritime fuels. There is no doubt that North Jutland has great potential when it comes to the fuels of the future, and we see good opportunities for many North Jutland jobs to be created.
Among the presenters at the conference were, among others, Søren Reinhold Poulsen, INEOUS Energy, who talked about the ambitions for the establishment of the CO2 hub Greenport Scandinavia at Port of Hirtshals, while Dan Knudsen from Norwegian Hydrogen and Hans Henrik Lindboe from Ea Energianalyse gave information on hydrogen production and on Power-to-X including options for methanol production in Hirtshals. A total of 11 professionals with extensive knowledge of green fuels gave presentations at the conference.
Legislation increases requirements for shipping
While shipping itself is showing great interest in the green fuels of the future, the EU has tightened legislation in the area to ensure that emissions of greenhouse gases from ships fall significantly in the coming years. The EU's climate package "fit for 55" is an example of climate regulation, which sets the course for shipping in the coming years.
- The increased demands on shipping mean that ships will have to sail on new fuels in the future, and we have seen several examples of companies in North Jutland already far ahead in developing green solutions. At Port of Hirtshals, for example, we have entered into an agreement with six other companies on the capture and storage of CO2, and the parties are also investigating the possibilities of establishing Europe's largest CO2 hub in Hirtshals. In addition, companies that work with green energy solutions are located at the port, and we will have space for even more companies when the port is expanded in the coming years, says Per Holm Nørgaard, CEO at Port of Hirtshals and continues:
- The presentations and the dialogue at the conference confirmed to me that there is a great potential for the development and production of climate-friendly maritime fuels - not only in Hirtshals, but in the whole of North Jutland - and it was precisely the purpose of the conference to get dialogue between the various players in the region.
Northern Jutland cooperation on the fuels of the future
Port of Hirtshals and Greenport North had invited representatives from the other North Jutland ports to the conference, because the organisers believe that a constructive cooperation between the North Jutland actors is the way forward when the green solutions of the future are to be developed.
- We see a need for cooperation between the ports in North Jutland, because we will stand stronger against other parts of the country, where you also work with green fuels of the future, and we are happy that our invitation has been well received, says project manager Hanne Skovby from Greenport North.
At the conference, the participants got a status on the Marine Renewable Hub, which is part of the North Jutland business lighthouse CO2Vision is to realise a common vision for a North Jutland business adventure by utilizing the commitment, know-how and energy that exists in the region, and to work purposefully to ensure that North Jutland has a central role in the next green wave, which is not only about fishing, use and storage of CO2.
The CO2Vision consortium consists of Green Hub Denmark, Energy Cluster Denmark, Erhvervshus Nordjylland, Aalborg University, Aalborg Portland A/S, Arbejdsmarkedkontor Midt/Nord and Business Region North Denmark.