Enova, part of Norway's Ministry of Climate and Environment, has awarded subsidies to support seven ammonia carriers and two hydrogen carriers, as well as five electric ships and one charging facility.
These ships will be built for zero emissions and are hoped to be able to sail emission-free from day one.
"Hydrogen and ammonia will be important energy carriers in the green shift, and the investment in green shipping is right and necessary," claimed Minister of Climate and Environment Tore O. Sandvik. "It provides jobs all over the country and helps Norwegian business and industry to compete at the top of the world.
"Enova is an important tool for achieving the government's climate goals. That is why this government has almost tripled the allocation to Enova from NOK 3.3 billion to NOK 9.2 billion (US$820 million) since it took office."
In total, the projects for hydrogen and ammonia in ships have been awarded support of more than NOK 940 million.
The goal is to demonstrate hydrogen and ammonia as zero-emission solutions in the maritime industry, by establishing the first functioning value chains for hydrogen and ammonia in Norway.
"With this, the Norwegian maritime industry is taking new important steps towards zero-emission shipping," added Enova's CEO, Nils Kristian Nakstad.
"In order to build up this value chain, it is important to have both a sufficient number of vessels and the production and bunkering of hydrogen and ammonia. This is an important step in realising the commitment towards 2030, which will be a springboard for the transition towards 2050."
The ammonia projects comprise a supply ship for Eidesvik Shipping; a cargo vessel for Norbjørn; two supply ships for the DOF Group, two supply ships for Aurora Offshore, and an ammonia bunkering and distribution vessel for Grieg Ammonia.
The sole hydrogen project is for two passenger vessels for Cruise Service.
Enova received a total of 31 applications for this application round for hydrogen and ammonia projects and of these, nine applicants have been granted funding.
"We encourage everyone to apply by the new deadline, which will probably be at the end of the first quarter of 2025," said Elin Ulstad Stokland, Goal Manager for Maritime Transport at Enova. "We continue to support good vessel projects and are planning two calls a year for the hydrogen and ammonia programmes in 2025 and 2026."
This year, Enova has supported a total of 24 vessels that use hydrogen and ammonia as fuel: 11 hydrogen vessels and 13 ammonia vessels. In November, funding was also awarded to five projects for hydrogen production, which will ensure that hydrogen becomes available as a fuel along the Norwegian coast.
In addition, Enova is supporting five electric vessels and one dedicated charging facility, with a total support of more than NOK 281 million.
These projects aim to reduce emissions from Norwegian shipping and expand the use of battery-powered ships, with an annual reduction of over 5,000 tonnes of CO2.
"We support the most ambitious electrification projects and the necessary charging infrastructure," said Andreas Forsnes Jahn, Senior Advisor at Enova. "The projects show the potential for battery operation and can pave the way for increased electrification of short sea shipping."
The battery projects include bulk carriers for Salten Shipping, K Sætre Rederi and Nidarø, passenger vessels for The Fjords and aquaculture workboats for Nova Sea.
Enova said it is now working on a new support programme for ammonia infrastructure along the Norwegian coast. The draft of the programme will be presented during the first quarter of 2025, and the market will have the opportunity to provide input.