TECO 2030 to supply fuel cells for up to six PGS’ ammonia-powered bulkers

Norwegian cleantech company TECO 2030 and Pherousa Green Shipping AS (PGS) have signed a green package supply agreement for up to six modern, zero-emission Ultramax dry bulk carriers of about 63.000 deadweight tons each.

As explained, each vessel will be equipped with 12 megawatts (MW) of TECO 2030 fuel cells for main propulsion onboard.

The delivery for TECO 2030 includes a complete system of fuel cells installed on a skid solution as well as power and automation equipment and is estimated to start shipment to shipyard by early-2026, with delivery in mid-2026.

The fuel cell system will go into production at Innovation Center in Narvik, Norway at the end of 2024.

The TECO 2030 fuel cell system will be installed in combination with a Pherousa Green Technologies AS’ (PGT) ammonia-to-hydrogen cracker. Bunkering ammonia and cracking to hydrogen on board the vessel will solve the present storage and infrastructure challenges of hydrogen as a marine fuel and thus paving the way for zero emission deep-sea shipping, according to the companies.

Specifically, a 12 MW fuel cell system will be utilized for full propulsion onboard each of the six vessels, to enable 100% emission-free operations. 

“Opting for hydrogen fuel cells in combination with an ammonia cracker allows shipowners to commence with ammonia and transition to hydrogen whenever desired, minimizing the investment risks. This approach does not only position ammonia as a viable hydrogen carrier but also enables its economic trade as a preferred fuel in shipping and complementing its traditional role in the chemical and fertilizer sector,” TECO 2030 highlighted.

”We are excited to team up with TECO 2030 and incorporate their Fuel Cell solution together with our own Cracking technology, permitting the Pherousa newbuildings to be the first ever fully electric deep-sea vessels on water,” said Hans Bredrup, Chairman of the Pherousa group.

“The technology combination between TECO 2030 and Pherousa doesn’t only reduce the ammonia consumption versus the ammonia fueled Internal Combustion Engines currently being developed, it also avoids burning Ammonia together with Carbon based pilot fuels.”

TECO 2030 has recently completed the first manual production of hydrogen fuel cell stacks at its Innovation Center in Narvik. TECO 2030 fuel cell stack is a 100kW proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell stack purposely developed for marine, heavy duty, stationary or mobile power applications.

Meanwhile, Pherousa revealed plans to potentially order up to six Ultramax dry bulk carriers, developed in cooperation with Deltamarin in Finland, in May this year. The Ultramax ships will incorporate ammonia-to-hydrogen cracking technology developed by Helbio S.A., a subsidiary of Metacon, which maintains a 10 percent ownership stake in Pherousa Green Technologies.