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Low-carbon energy carriers

Japan has set ambitious climate change commitments and is the home of large companies driving hydrogen, ammonia and low-carbon technology development. Japan was also among the first countries to establish a hydrogen strategy.

Equinor has set clear ambitions for the future. We aim to be a leader in the energy transition by building the energy industry of tomorrow and becoming a net-zero company by 2050. We believe developing hydrogen and ammonia value chains (production to end use) from natural gas in combination with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), or by electrolysis of water from renewable power, will be vital to succeed with the transition.

As a broad energy company developing oil, gas and renewable energy, it is important for Equinor to collaborate with companies that have a clear vision for shaping the future of energy. One such collaborator is Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI). Equinor has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a hydrogen and low-carbon technology collaboration. The intention with the non-exclusive MoU is to assess potential for collaboration regarding development and use of technology within low-carbon oil and gas, hydrogen, ammonia and value chains to further reduce the carbon footprint of oil and gas operations and other end-user solutions.

Equinor MHI collaboration (PDF)

Hydrogen has the potential to play a key role in the transition to low carbon energy. It can be used to help customers in the power, heat and transportation sectors to reduce their emissions. Equinor is working on several projects to explore the potential for converting natural gas into clean hydrogen while capturing and storing the CO2. With technology development, the potential for business and emission reduction is promising.

Read more about hydrogen in Equinor

Ammonia

Ammonia as a hydrogen energy carrier will also play an important role in the energy transition. Equinor is a member in Japan’s Green Ammonia Consortium and follows this partnership closely.

Below you can find examples of initiative regarding hydrogen and ammonia that Equinor participates in:

  • Equinor participates with Corvus Energy, and others, to developing maritime fuel cell systems with hydrogen fuel cell technology, supplied by Toyota.
  • HySHIP - A consortium led by the Norwegian shipping operator Wilhelmsen. Together we hope to make liquid hydrogen an attractive fuel option for ship propulsion in Europe
  • ShipFC - Will install the world’s first high power ammonia fuel sell on a vessel.

Technology development within the whole value chain for hydrogen and ammonia will be necessary to reach our ambition to become carbon neutral within 2050.

Equinor is involved in several activities related to technology development and qualification within areas such as:

  • Large size carriers for liquid hydrogen
  • Liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHC)
  • Ammonia as hydrogen carrier (distribution medium or storage for hydrogen)
  • Developing cost and sustainabilty analysis/models
  • Combustor and ammonia and hydrogen turbine testing
  • Fuel cell qualification
  • Ammonia fueled engines
  • Ammonia production/cracking
  • Safety and trust

Carbon capture and storage

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CCS – carbon capture and storage – a pre-requisite for clean hydrogen and ammonia production from natural gas. Equinor has long experience with CO2 storage in the Snøhvit and Sleipner fields on the Norwegian continental shelf. This experience is utilised in the Northern Lights project where Equinor together with Shell and Total is developing the world’s first open-source CO2 transport and storage infrastructure where CO2 can be captured and shipped from industrial sites and injected for permanent storage several thousand metres below the seabed in the North Sea. This CCS infrastructure can of course also be used to manage the CO2 from blue hydrogen/ammonia production. Operations of the Northern Lights project is scheduled to start in 2024.

Learn more about the Northern Lights project