PowerCell, a Swedish fuel cell company, has been awarded the contract to provide systems to power two Norwegian liquid hydrogen cargo vessels.
Under the SEK 50m or $5.2m agreement, PowerCell will deliver 4MW of its 225kW marine fuel cell units to start-up LH2 Shipping, which recently secured NOK 344.4m or $34.8m in capital from the state-owned climate investor of Norway so as to develop two vessels.
The two Norwegian liquid hydrogen cargo vessels will be 7,700-dwt ships intended for shortsea missions in the North Sea and will utilize liquid hydrogen in fuel cells for their main propulsion.
PowerCell expects to deliver the fuel cells in accordance with the plans of LH2 Shipping to deliver the ships for operations in 2029, by 2028.
The role of hydrogen in decarbonizing shipping has become more complicated in the past few years, with numerous smaller coastal vessels settling for battery power and larger vessels considering hydrogen derivatives such as ammonia or e-methanol.
However, the commercial director of PowerCell, Stig Kallestad, said the directive showed that hydrogen fuel cells were progressively being seen as an option when it came to larger and more demanding maritime uses.
According to PowerCell CEO Richard Berkling, “Investments in hydrogen infrastructure, vessel development, and regulatory frameworks are beginning to translate into real projects and real vessels.”
It joins a handful of marine orders obtained by PowerCell, which include what is set to be the first hydrogen-powered cruise ship of the world.
In addition to these developments, the company has just won an order to provide fuel cells for a methanol-to-hydrogen-to-power system for a large yacht.