ABB partners with Lhyfe, Skyborn for green hydrogen project

ABB has officially joined the SoutH2Port project, a joint venture between hydrogen producer Lhyfe and wind power developer Skyborn Renewables to produce green hydrogen

“This collaboration is a key part of our strategy in both the hydrogen and offshore wind markets,” said Brandon Spencer, president of ABB Energy Industries. “Creating a seamless supply chain, through partnerships such as these, is essential to accelerate the energy transition.”

The project’s main goal is to streamline Power-to-X conversion technologies. The process converts green electricity into net-zero energy carriers like hydrogen and saves the energy for later use.

“By combining our expertise and solutions, we can cost-effectively and safely expand the value creation attached to the scale up of renewable hydrogen production.”

Taia Kronborg, Co-founder and Chief Business Officer of Lhyfe

Plants produce green hydrogen by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity from sustainable sources, like offshore wind turbines. Oxygen becomes the only residual product in manufacturing, unlike conventional energy production, which creates harmful byproducts.

Skyborn chairman Achim Berge Olsen expressed his delight at ABB’s participation in the project. He said it was “clearly a strategic move” for the SoutH2Port project, adding that the collaboration would accelerate the project’s completion.

Lhyfe co-founder and chief business officer Taia Kronborg said combining the expertise of the three firms would help with cost efficiency and scaling up the project.

Hydrogen’s role in decarbonization

Demands for green energy will grow in the coming years as the Swedish government aims to make the country fossil-free by 2045, increasing the urgency to find sustainable alternatives.

In the efforts to decarbonize numerous sectors of the economy, Spencer said hydrogen “plays a crucial role.” ABB will contribute its expertise to optimize hydrogen and electricity generation integration across the whole ecosystem, including automation and digital and electrical technologies.

SoutH2Port, which will be one of Europe’s largest hydrogen plants upon completion, is expected to produce up to 88,000 tonnes of hydrogen per year. Refinement procedures conducted in the facility can turn hydrogen into various electro fuels for the agriculture and aviation industries.

The plant is located in Söderhamn, close to Skyborns’ offshore wind farm Storgrundet. SoutH2Port will have an installed capacity of 600 megawatts. The project participants will build the plant in stages, with a total investment of 50 billion SEK.