Hydrogen Central

Yara Clean Ammonia joins HyPilot project with Hystar, Equinor, and Gassco

hypilot project ammonia

Yara Clean Ammonia joins HyPilot project with Hystar, Equinor, and Gassco.

Yara testing Hystar’s PEM electrolyser technology for the future production of green ammonia at higher levels of efficiency.

Hystar AS announces that Yara Clean Ammonia has joined the HyPilot project, which will see the first in-field test of Hystar’s 1 MW containerized electrolyser. The PEM electrolyser will be commissioned in the second half of 2023 at the Kårstø Gas Processing Plant in Rogaland, Norway, operated by Gassco.

HyPilot will verify Hystar’s patented PEM technology under realistic field conditions, using a containerized PEM electrolyser, in partnership with industry leaders. The electrolyser will be run for a total of 10,000 hours, providing performance data from various operating regimes to verify long-term commercial operation.

As one of the largest fertiliser producers in the world, Yara’s interest in the project is primarily around the use of hydrogen for the production of green ammonia. The results from the HyPilot project will demonstrate how Hystar’s world-leading electrolysers can be utilized to reduce the cost of green hydrogen for the production of green ammonia on an industrial scale.

As a key player in offshore wind, Equinor will demonstrate dynamic hydrogen production tailored to suit the variable output typically found in wind applications. Therefore, testing and verification will be conducted both in ‘efficiency’ and ‘dynamic’ modes, ensuring HyPilot drives value both in renewable energy generation and the optimization of the production of green hydrogen in industrial processes.

Compared to conventional PEM electrolysers, the membrane in Hystar’s patented design is significantly thinner, providing better efficiency due to lower resistance across the membrane. Hystar’s unrivalled efficiencies mark a key step in making green hydrogen production cheaper, supporting the global transition to clean energy across a range of high-emission sectors.

HyPilot will further drive ambitious and targeted industry efforts to reduce carbon emissions and realise the potential of hydrogen, with the IEA predicting that the cost of producing hydrogen from renewable electricity could fall 30% by 2030. Hystar’s recent test results show we are already able to meet or even exceed the European targets.

Fredrik Mowill, CEO of Hystar, says:

HyPilot marks a significant moment for the hydrogen industry, bringing together leading industry names to showcase Hystar’s patented, ultra-efficient electrolysers.

“Today’s announcement is a key step towards scaling up and enabling widespread commercial deployment of large-scale green hydrogen production.”

“We are pleased that Yara, Enova, Equinor, and Gassco share our vision of commercializing technology for lower-cost green hydrogen. Working together in the years ahead will enable us to drive unseen levels of cost and production efficiencies across hard-to-abate sectors.”

Lise Winther, SVP Upstream Projects & Technologies in Yara Clean Ammonia, adds:

We look forward to collaborating with Hystar and studying the results of the 1 MW pilot electrolyser project.

“The knowledge we gain from the HyPilot project will give valuable input to our work in developing green ammonia for fertilizer, deep-sea shipping, and power production.”

Ahead of the HyPilot launch, Hystar had already engineered and designed the novel concept, having undertaken two years of stack optimization and more than 5,000 hours of testing. As a spinoff company of SINTEF, one of Europe’s largest independent research organizations, Hystar has a background of over 15 years of research into PEM technology.

Over the coming months, Hystar will engage in the construction of a complete, autonomous, containerized PEM electrolyser, with a hydrogen production capacity of up to 500 kg/day.

About Hystar | www.hystar.com

Hystar makes highly efficient PEM electrolysers for large-scale production of green hydrogen. Hystar aims to be a global leader in the electrolyser market within the decade.

Our patented technology has a key role to play in decarbonizing hard to abate sectors and we are scaling quickly to meet demand. Located in Høvik, Norway, Hystar is building an Innovation Centre to support our R&D and manufacturing capabilities. By 2025, we will have the possibility for onsite GW scale manufacturing capacity.

Hystar has 15 years history of research into PEM technology at SINTEF. With more than 5,000 hours of in-house testing, our game-changing technology has been proven to use significantly less energy than conventional PEM electrolysers, enabling a substantial increase in hydrogen production output.

With our game-changing technology, Hystar plays a key role in a greener, more sustainable future.

About Yara Clean Ammonia (YCA) | www.yaracleanammonia.com

Yara grows knowledge to responsibly feed the world and protect the planet. Yara Clean Ammonia is uniquely positioned to enable the hydrogen economy in a market expected to grow substantially over the next decades.

We aim at significantly strengthening our leading global position as the world’s largest ammonia distributor, unlocking the green and blue value chains, and driving the development of clean ammonia globally.

Building on Yara’s leading experience within global ammonia production, logistics and trade, Yara Clean Ammonia works towards capturing growth opportunities in low-emission fuel for shipping and power, carbon-free food production and ammonia for industrial applications.

Yara Clean Ammonia operates the largest global ammonia network with 12 ships and has access to 18 ammonia terminals and multiple ammonia production and consumption sites across the world, through Yara. Revenues and EBITDA for the last 12 months were USD 3,638 million and USD 172 million respectively as per Q2 2022. Yara Clean Ammonia is headquartered in Oslo, Norway.

Yara Clean Ammonia joins HyPilot project with Hystar, Equinor, and Gassco, September 28, 2022

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