23 May 2022
ABB and Siemens back cobalt-free Norwegian battery start-up
ABB and Siemens are leading a €100mn fundraising round by Morrow Batteries, a start-up that aims to start producing in its home country of Norway by the end of next year. The region’s biggest battery makers include Sweden’s Northvolt, which raised $2.75bn last year and started production in December, and Norway’s Freyr, which went public last year through a merger with a listed company. Morrow said it would use its funding to build a 1.2GW pilot factory by the end of next year, which will produce batteries used in energy storage systems such as those used for rooftop solar panels. Global shortages of cobalt and nickel are threatening to push up the price of electric vehicle batteries, prompting some manufacturers to invest in technologies that use less of these materials. Chief Executive Terje Andersen said the company was planning a battery that had no cobalt and used significantly less nickel. “We will replace nickel and cobalt with manganese. This is what the EV producers are keen to discuss with us.”
FT & NNews & MyNewsDesk
Topsoe spends DKK 2 billion DKK on the world's largest electrolysis facility
Danish technology giant Topsoe has chosen Herning to house a factory for the production of green hydrogen that can be used for CO2-free fuel for ships, aircraft and trucks.The technology group aims to become a crucial player in the global energy scene when it comes to the production of green hydrogen. The Topsoe plant, which will create 170 permanent jobs, is expected to be completed in 2024.
CIP proposes to build a hydrogen island in the North Sea by 2030
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) proposes to build an artificial island dedicated to large-scale production of green hydrogen from offshore wind – called “BrintØ” (English: Hydrogen Island) – on the Danish part of Dogger Bank; an area expected to become a central hub for the future build-out of offshore energy infrastructure in the North Sea. The area consists of a 20,000 km2 sandbank and offers some of the world’s best conditions for producing low-cost green electricity, due to low water depths and strong wind resources. The island is expected to be able to supply up to 7% of Europe’s 2030 demand for green hydrogen by 2030 and could thus be a crucial step in securing Europe’s future green energy supply. BrintØ – and over time other adjacent energy islands – will produce very large amounts of green hydrogen from offshore wind for export to nearby countries, e.g. Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium, laying a foundation for the production of sustainable green fuels via Power-to-X for trucks, ships and aircrafts.
The world's first hydrogen-producing offshore wind farm will receive GBP 9.3 million in innovation support
Vattenfall has received GBP 9.3 million in innovation support from the British government's Net Zero Innovation Portfolio Low Carbon Hydrogen Supply 2. The money will be used to develop the world's first hydrogen-producing offshore wind turbine where the electrolyser is located directly on an existing wind turbine in operation.The project, called "Hydrogen Turbine 1 (HT1)", aims to be the first project in the world where full integration of hydrogen production is tested. The work will begin immediately with the goal that the first production will take place as early as 2025.
Scania receives largest electric truck order to date from Einride
Scania has received their largest order for electric trucks so far from Sweden’s Einride, which has ordered 110 electric trucks to be delivered this year. E-cars generally have increased in popularity over the last few years and close to a third of all cars sold in Sweden during 2022 are pure battery cars. While there has been a slower e-development for heavier transport vehicles, the order shows that things are also happening in the truck sector. The order is for heavy Scania trucks with trailers and the maximum distance will be up to 250 kilometres without a charge. Fredrik Allard, who is head of Scania´s electrification sector, says that e-truck sales and production now are entering a new and positive phase. “The market is maturing”, he said and praises Einride for investing in green transport solutions, which fits Scania to a T. In a similar vein Volvo has also reported an e-truck order from Maersk for 126 e-trucks.
Vattenfall Eldistribution connects new wind power in Skellefteå
Vattenfall Eldistribution has completed a new station for Fjällboheden's wind farm outside Skellefteå and now 165 GWh of renewable electricity can be supplied to the electricity grid annually. “It is always a proud feeling to be on site and see what we at Vattenfall Eldistribution contribute to our customers. The demand for renewable energy connections is constantly increasing and the connection of Fjällboheden is a good example of how our work enables energy conversion,” says Catarina Grenemark, head of corporate relations at Vattenfall Eldistribution.
Construction work begins on Finland's largest wind farm
Construction work on the wind farm is about to begin on Finland's largest wind farm, which is to be built on Lestijärvi in central Ostrobothnia, by OX2. The estimated annual output of the 455.4 MW project will be 1.3 TWh. According to OX2, production corresponds to the annual electricity consumption of about 280,000 households. The wind farm will be completed and handed over to its owners in early 2025.
Hexicon strengthens expansion in North America with new recruitments
Hexicon continues to expand its operations in North America. With two new recruits the team - Theodore Paradise, Chief Policy and Legal Officer, and Darren McQuillan, Vice President Global Fabrication, who will take office in the second quarter of 2022. The US is a hot market for offshore wind, with large wind resources and a political planning goal of 110 GW offshore wind by 2050.
OX2 hands over wind farm in Härjedalen to French company
OX2 hands over the Åndberg wind farm in Sweden to the French private investment house Ardian. With 53 wind turbines and a total capacity of 286 MW, Åndberg is OX2's second largest wind farm commissioned in Sweden. The wind farm's annual energy production is 800 GWh, which corresponds to the annual electricity consumption of more than 160,000 households (5,000 kWh / household).
OX2 will remain responsible for the technical and commercial management of the wind farm.
Wind power company Eolus Vind confident despite increased Q1 loss
Eolus Vind reports an increased loss of SEK138 million for the first quarter of 2022. Despite the negative results for the quarter, Eolus has a strong equity ratio, 60% at the end of the quarter, a stable net cash, an order backlog of SEK 1.2 billion and a growing project portfolio. During the quarter, the company also added new solar projects in Poland and Sweden as well as new land-based wind projects, primarily in the USA, but also Sweden and Finland.
Freyr begins groundwork for Finnish battery factory
The Norwegian battery manufacturer will lease a plot from the city of Vaasa within the GigaVasa area of 130 hectares for the company's planned battery cell factory.
Nordic Innovation Report released: ‘COVID-19 Policy responses in and Green recovery in Nordic Region’
Nordic Innovation has released a report assessing the green merits of the Covid-19 stimulus measures in the Nordic region. All Nordic countries have implemented comprehensive Covid-19 stimulus packages, amounting to between 2000 euro per capita in Finland to 4400 euro per capita in Denmark. Nordic Innovation identified that at least 6-21% of the measures suit the definition as a green stimulus in terms of decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. A smaller share of2-13%, contributed to increased greenhouse gas emissions. The picture is almost the same for the environment.
What we’re reading
- Australian billionaires on attack after election: place blame for conservative loss on climate policies and looking for faster change (RenewEconomy)
- G7 to meet climate finance support goal next year - draft (Reuters)
- Namibia goes to Europe to sell its sunshine (News24)
- Japan lays out plan to issue $157 bln in 'green transition' bonds (Reuters)
- Hinkley Point C costs set to soar by another £3bn, warns EDF (Financial Times)
- Eni plans €2.5bn UK investment as calls for energy windfall tax grow (Financial Times)
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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