Horisont Energi’s Barents Blue ammonia project gets new partners

Norwegian energy firms Horisont Energi, Equinor and Vår Energi have signed a cooperation agreement for the development of Barents Blue, Europe’s first large-scale blue ammonia production facility.

The Barents Blue project is based on using natural gas from the Barents Sea to produce ammonia. It promises to provide Europe’s first large-scale clean ammonia production, located in Finnmark in Northern Norway.

Once operational, the facility will have a production capacity of 3000 tonnes of ammonia per day. During the production process, the project will capture carbon and permanently store it in the Polaris reservoir.

Horisont Energi has now teamed up with the two largest offshore oil and gas producers in the Barents Sea region. Equinor and Vår Energi will be among the natural gas suppliers to the Barents Blue ammonia plant.

Through the cooperation agreement, the partnership aims to mature a technical and commercial solution. This will form the basis for further studies and a potential investment decision.

“This agreement means that we are now moving forward in the Barents Blue project with two industrial partners with a strong local presence. This is a major step forward,” says Bjørgulf Haukelidsæter Eidesen, CEO of Horisont Energi.

The ammonia plant will consist of three process trains which may be developed simultaneously or sequentially. “Each train calls for a facility producing approximately one million tonnes of pure ammonia per year, potentially permanently storing two million tonnes of CO2 annually, making Barents Blue one of Norway’s largest environmental projects,” added Eidesen.

In conclusion, the project could become an important step in achieving the ambitious climate goals and clean energy transition.