Utsira wind-to-hydrogen plant in Norway

Norsk Hydro’s wind-to-hydrogen power plant on the Norwegian island of Utsira is the first full-scale facility of its type, and supplies 230 people with renewable energy.

Sweco Norway has been responsible for everything from site analysis, concession applications and impact assessments to planning, design and construction management. The project has been honoured with the “Platts Global Energy Award”, the Oscars of the energy sector.

Norway is investing NOK 900 million in a ten-year project to establish a national hydrogen programme. Hydrogen can be extracted through electrolysis of water molecules using wind-generated electricity. Since the most logical solution is to produce and store the gas where the users are found, tests have been started involving the placement of wind power turbines on the islands where hydrogen is extracted and then compressed or cooled and stored until needed. So far, nine EU countries have started using hydrogen fuel on a trial basis.

Today there is a focus on the development of new ways extract energy in a more eco-friendly manner, and everything from rubbish to tidewater is being used as a renewable energy source. In Norway, Sweco is working on projects related to hydropower, wind power, tidewater power, salt, salt energy, bioenergy and the use of hydrogen as an energy bearer.