PowerCell sign development contract for maritime zero emissions solution with Havyard Group
PowerCell Sweden AB has signed a contract with Norwegian Havyard Group ASA regarding the development of the design and the technical specifications for a zero-emissions fuel cell system. The system may come to be installed on board a vessel that will service the shipping company Havila Kystruten’s new route from Bergen to Kirkenes, the company said in its release.
The one-year contract concerns the development of the design and the technical specifications for a zero emissions system fully classifiable and in conformity with IMO maritime safety requirements. The system solution that PowerCell and Havyard jointly will design, will be based on several marinized 200-kW fuel cell system modules connected in parallel with a total power of 3.2 megawatts.
The shipping company Havila Kystruten’s vessels will operate in Norwegian waters where increasingly strict emissions regulations will be introduced in the coming years. Havila Kystruten has been honored with a contract of building four new ships which will be equipped with zero emission solutions. The first of the four ships will be taken in to operation in 2021.
The intense traffic in and out of the Norwegian fjords has resulted in a huge increase in local emissions and at times the emission levels have been reported to exceed those of major cities like London and Barcelona. Several of the Norwegian fjords have been recognized by United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organization, UNESCO, as world heritage sites, a recognition they risk losing due to the high emission levels. To counter this, Norway has introduced increasingly strict emission regulations for ships operating in the fjords and by 2026 only ships with zero emission solutions will be allowed entrance.
The international maritime organization, IMO, has decided to halve the emissions of Greenhouse Gases from commercial ships by 2050. Considering the long lifetime of ships, zero emission vessels may have to set sail as early as 2030.
About PowerCell Sweden AB
PowerCell Sweden AB (publ) develops and produces fuel cell stacks and systems for stationary and mobile applications with a world class energy density. The fuel cells are powered by hydrogen, pure or reformed, and produce electricity and heat with no emissions other than water. As the stacks and systems are compact, modular and scalable, they are easily adjusted to any customer need.