Norwegian company reserves spot at new hydrogen hub at Porto do Açu

Porto do Açu, a subsidiary of economic group Prumo Logística, and Norwegian developer of green hydrogen and ammonia plants Fuella have signed the first area reservation contract for the newly licensed low-carbon hydrogen hub at the port complex in the north of the state of Rio de Janeiro.

The low-carbon hydrogen and derivatives hub at Porto do Açu received a Preliminary License from the Rio de Janeiro Government in January 2024. The goal is to develop an integrated platform for renewable and low-carbon hydrogen production, connected to ammonia and methanol production units. The hydrogen produced at the hub can be exported or used as input for future low-carbon product industrial clusters to be established at Açu.

Through this agreement, Fuella will secure a significant area within the hub that covers one million square meters in total. At the same time, this is Fuella’s first agreement in Brazil.

Prumo, Fuella, and Porto do Açu also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to cooperate on the development green ammonia plant of up to 520 MW, based on water electrolysis.

The planned facility will produce 400,000 tons of green ammonia per year, which could be shipped through the port’s liquids terminal, for export or domestic uses.

The timeline for Fuella’s green ammonia plant project foresees a final investment decision within the next four years, and the first molecules delivered by 2030.

“This is a landmark agreement for us, in expanding our portfolio of projects internationally, to highly competitive and attractive regions. We believe that Porto do Açu is a fantastic location and partner for us. The winning factors for us were not only the site and the infrastructure in place, but also the dedication, competence and support of the team,” said Thorsten Helms, Managing Director Business & Corporate Development at Fuella.

In Europe, Fuella has developed the Skipavika Green Ammonia (SkiGA) project in Norway, which is said to be one of Europe’s first emission-free green ammonia production facilities.