Aker Solutions has signed a contract with Nordic Blue Crude (NBC) for front-end engineering and design (FEED) of a new e-Fuel facility at Herøya in Porsgrunn, Norway. The e-Fuel plant is planned to produce CO2-neutral fuel by using green hydrogen and furnace gas from an existing factory.

The FEED work starts immediately and is planned to be completed in the third quarter of 2021. It will involve about 50 employees from Aker Solutions, primarily at the company’s headquarters in Fornebu, Norway. Based on the FEED results, NBC aims to sanction start of detailed engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) within the second half of 2021.

“Aker Solutions has been working with NBC on this concept for more than two years. The FEED contract brings the project a big step forward towards realization. The project also supports our strategy to grow the company’s business related to renewables and low-carbon oil and gas projects. Based on delivery of solid front-end engineering, we aim to be in a good position for future work,” said Kenneth Simonsen, interim executive vice president and head of the renewables business in Aker Solutions.

Aker Solutions is already a leading supplier to oil and gas companies globally and will continue to maintain this market position. In parallel, the company will rapidly grow activities for sustainable energy production. The ambition is to generate one-third of its revenue from renewable energy projects and low-carbon solutions by 2025, and two-thirds by 2030.

e-Fuels production use electrical power in the process. The blue crude process will use renewable electricity, water and CO2 as feedstocks. The process starts when water vapor is broken down into hydrogen and oxygen. The produced crude will be carbon neutral and offer 100 percent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to fossil fuels. After the refining steps, the plant can deliver products such as kerosene (jet fuel), diesel, wax and naphtha. The plant NBC plans to build at Herøya Industrial Park will have a significant capacity and thus be a key contributor to the energy transition.

Aker Solutions’ FEED work will be performed in close cooperation with NBC and with support from two technology providers; ARVOS Group for the syngas system and Emerging Fuels Technology for the Fischer-Tropsch system related to production of the e-Fuel. Multiconsult will contribute with front-end design related to civil construction and buildings.