Such news is a result of a newly signed contract between Aker Solutions and Nordic Blue Crude (NBC). Announced on Thursday (29th April), the agreement will see Aker carry out the front-end engineering and design (FEED) of the facility.
Work on the e-fuels plant will start immediately and is planned to be completed in the third quarter of 2021. Based on the FEED results, NBC aims to sanction start of detailed engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) within the second half of 2021.
Once operational, the plant will use electrical power to produce e-fuels. The blue crude process will use renewable electricity, water and CO2 as feedstocks. The process starts when water vapor is broken down into hydrogen and oxygen. The produced crude will be carbon neutral and offer 100 percent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to fossil fuels.
After the refining steps, the plant can deliver products such as kerosene (jet fuel), diesel, wax and naphtha. The plant NBC plans to build at Herøya Industrial Park will have a significant capacity and thus be a key contributor to the energy transition.
“Aker Solutions has been working with NBC on this concept for more than two years. The FEED contract brings the project a big step forward towards realisation,” said Kenneth Simonsen, interim executive vice president and head of the renewables business in Aker Solutions.
“The project also supports our strategy to grow the company’s business related to renewables and low-carbon oil and gas projects. Based on delivery of solid front-end engineering, we aim to be in a good position for future work.”