13 September 2022
DN: Norway and EU to sign green industry agreement in November
Based on the experience of DN, Norway and the EU plan to sign a green industry agreement during the climate summit in Sharm El Sheikh in November. The agreement means that Norway will be more closely linked to the EU in the form of cooperation on batteries, minerals, hydrogen, carbon capture and storage (CCS) and offshore wind energy. According to DN, in a specific draft agreement sent by the Norwegian government to the EU earlier this month, Norway appears to want Norwegian oil and gas to have priority status in the green deal. State Secretary at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Erling Rimestad (Ap) said the government is currently working to follow up on the joint declaration between Norway and the EU initiated by European Commission President von der Leyen and Prime Minister Støre in February 2022.
Indonesia and Norway plan to launch new agreement to curb deforestation
On 12 September, Indonesia and Norway signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a new partnership to reduce carbon emissions from deforestation in the Southeast Asian country. But last year Jakarta ended a similar agreement, citing a lack of payments. Indonesia, which has a third of the world's tropical rainforest, has lost large swathes to the expansion of crops such as palm oil, but the government said the rate of deforestation had slowed and needed to be kept in balance in order to grow. The Norwegian government says the new forest and climate partnership includes a results-based model, with Indonesia setting the strategy and managing the funds, while Norway contributes an annual results-based financial contribution to Indonesia's emissions reductions. Norway will pay its contribution based on verified emission reductions from deforestation and forest degradation from 2016 to 2020 under the existing Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) protocol, said Espen Barth Eide, Minister of Climate and the Environment of Norway . Once the contribution is agreed, the first payment of US$56 million in emission reductions can be made between August 2016 and July 2017.
Nel ASA: Purchase order received for container electrolyzer for sustainable aviation fuel production
Nel Hydrogen US has received a contract for a containerised PEM electrolyser to be installed in the world's first commercial 'alcohol-to-jet' production plant for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), built by LanzaJet, an innovator in biofuel technology. When completed, the capacity will be 10 million gallons per year of renewable diesel fuel from SAF and sustainable ethanol, with 90% SAF and 10% renewable diesel. The purchase order is valued at approximately $3 million and equipment delivery is expected in the third quarter of 2023, said Dave Wolff, Nel Hydrogen's US regional sales manager, adding that the electrolyzer can produce cost-effective hydrogen for green chemical processes, which we expect to accelerate in light of recent tax credit legislation for the production of low-carbon hydrogen.
Denmark invites Sweden to cooperate in expanding wind power near Bornholm
Denmark is now inviting several countries, including Sweden, to cooperate on large wind power projects. Denmark has already agreed on cooperation with three countries. Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands will be linked to the Danish energy island in the North Sea, while Germany is a partner in the energy island, Bornholm. 2020 saw Denmark decide to build two so-called energy islands, an artificial island between Denmark and England and on the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. The energy islands, built according to the Marienburg and Esbjerg declarations, must be completed by 2030 at the earliest. The Swedish Energy Agency plans to procure the project in the North Sea in 2023, while a so-called market dialogue has already started for the energy island on Bornholm. Denmark has said it would welcome other countries, including Sweden, to join the cooperation.
Finnish minister touts electricity self-sufficiency
Finland's Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintilä said Finland will be energy self-sufficient in two years or less. Lintilä comments on the country's diverse energy mix and increasing domestic production, particularly in nuclear and wind energy. In 2021, 20.5% of Finland's electricity consumption will come from imports and 10% from Russia. But the claimed self-sufficiency depends to a large extent on the Olkiluoto 3 nuclear reactor, which is still in the testing phase after facing a series of delays and technical problems. Teollissuden Voila, the plant's operator, said that the plant was producing more than 1,000 MW and was expected to reach full capacity in December. Once full capacity is reached, the plant is expected to meet around 14% of the country's electricity needs. Meanwhile, Finland is also looking at wind energy as an energy source. According to transmission system operator Fingrid, an additional 2,000 MW of wind power is expected to be added in 2022. And estimates from business paper Kauppalehti show that Finland has built more wind turbines in the first six months of 2022 than in the whole of late 2021, and that wind power could account for 12% of electricity demand.
A huge solar power area is planned for Lake Tohmajärvi - possibly the largest energy project in eastern Finland
Finland plans to build a large solar and wind power area on Lake Tohmajärvi. Skarta energy oy, which specialises in energy construction, and the municipality of Tohmajärvi have signed a memorandum of understanding to build in the area. Tohmajärvi is currently drawing up a suitable building site. When completed, the new solar and wind power area will be the largest energy project in eastern Finland. However, because of the presence of the Defence Forces in eastern Finland, it may take five to six years for wind power permits to be approved. Therefore, according to Skarta energy oy Vice President Vikke Saarelainen, the plan is to start construction in the solar area first. Saarelainen is not sure whether wind energy will eventually come to Tohmajärvi. The Skarta Group is responsible for obtaining financing for the energy project. If the project is financed by the Ministry of Labour and Economy, the first phase of the project could be realised within two years.
PowerCell receives order for fuel cell system from Amogy in USA for ammonia-powered workboat
PowerCell Sweden AB has received an order for a fuel cell system and related services to be installed on a workboat from Amogy in the USA, whose goal is to convert ammonia into a sustainable energy source and thus reduce CO2 emissions during transport. The company has successfully built the first ammonia-powered emission-free 5 kW drone and demonstrated a 100 kW tractor. As industry looks for ways to reduce carbon emissions, ammonia has become an attractive energy source with great potential because it allows for emission-free, high-performance transport. Due to the high energy density, the use of ammonia to hydrogen is particularly suitable for industries with long operating times, such as the marine industry. PowerCell will provide a fuel cell system that will be integrated into an Elmo solution in which ammonia is converted to hydrogen. In this way, a longer continuous power supply is ensured for the workboat. The workboat will be used to demonstrate how the marine industry can build complete fuel systems.
What we're reading
- Egypt climate champion calls for new metric on climate finance (Reuters)
- 'Clairvoyant' 2012 climate report warned of extreme weather (The Independent)
About Nordic Green News
The Nordic countries are some of the most dynamic and successful economies in the world. They are also leaders in sustainability, from renewable energy, biofuels, carbon capture and storage and the hydrogen economy, circular economy business models and battery development, the Nordics are pioneers in policy design, technology development and consumer uptake. Mundus Nordic Green News is covering this transition for the international community. Every day we curate the stories of most relevance to international businesspeople and policy experts from the flow of news. Mundus Nordic Green Indices summarise the meta-data from our daily coverage to enable easy tracking of trends. We supplement these with our own opinion pieces and commentary.
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