Norwegian Hydrogen customers receive NOK 600 million grant for new ships with hydrogen fuel systems

Norwegian Hydrogen has been announced as the hydrogen supplier for eight of the nine ships which received funding in a record-breaking award of grants from Enova yesterday. This marks a pivotal moment for the Norwegian maritime industry, and it is expected that Enova will follow up with more similar programs in the near future.

The partners from Maris Fiducia, HAV Hydrogen, Ankerbeer and Norwegian Hydrogen at the Enova event June 19th 2024.

The total of NOK 600 million grants for these eight ships are awarded under Enova’s new “hydrogen in vessels” program, where the Norwegian government enterprise wants to reduce emissions in the Norwegian shipping industry by supporting companies in starting to use hydrogen as a green fuel in a wide range of different vessel types.

The funding announcement was made at a maritime industry event hosted by DNV/Green Shipping Programme in Høvik, with the presence of Minister of Climate and Environment Andreas Bjelland Eriksen. Minister Eriksen highlighted the necessity of climate transformation in the shipping sector to meet Norway's climate goals. He praised Enova's critical role in supporting this transformation and expressed optimism about the future of the industry.

The competition for funding was intense, with numerous high-quality projects vying for support. This high level of interest bodes well for future initiatives and underscores Norway's leading position in maritime green transformation.

Grants were awarded to a total of nine hydrogen-fueled and six ammonia-fueled ships. Enova CEO, Nils Kristian Nakstad, emphasized the pioneering nature of these projects and highlighted Norway's leading role in maritime innovation.

These were the customers of Norwegian Hydrogen who received grants in this round:

Marius Fiducia Norway AS: Granted 299,976,465 NOK for 5 vessels

Møre Sjø AS: Granted 175,200,000 NOK for 2 vessels

Napier AS: Granted 123,025,210 NOK for 1 vessel

First and foremost, a big congratulations to our customers for the NOK 600 million grants they received yesterday! They are all front runners in the shipping industry, and there’s nothing more powerful than when competent and committed people with the same mindset team up to achieve great things. We are ready and fully committed to enabling zero emissions in the shipping sector. These newbuilds will bring significant emission reductions and advance the development of hydrogen-powered shipping technologies. This is only a start, and a very important one!

Jens Berge, CEO of Norwegian Hydrogen.

More about Enova and the program

Enova supports tomorrow's energy and climate technology so that Norway will reach the climate goals for 2050. Enova manages the Climate and Energy Fund and is a state-owned enterprise owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Energy.

Enova's support programs aim to create the first functioning value chains for ammonia and hydrogen for maritime purposes. By making the cost of hydrogen and ammonia competitive with fossil fuels, these programs will foster demand for green fuels and establish a foundation for a zero-emission maritime market.

Launched in December 2023, the "Hydrogen in Ships" and "Ammonia in Ships" programs aim to reduce barriers for adopting hydrogen and ammonia as marine fuels. The programs support new or retrofitted hydrogen and ammonia ships, providing up to 80% of approved additional costs, a significant increase from the previous 40%. The programs evaluated applications based on cost-effectiveness (70%) and project maturity (30%). This rigorous competitive bidding process ensured that the most efficient projects received funding.