Ohmium, an electrolyzer manufacturer, has been contracted to supply 300 megawatts (MW) of its proton exchange membrane (PEM) machines for a floating green hydrogen and ammonia production project off the southern coast of Europe. The US-based company, which operates a manufacturing facility in India, has signed a term sheet to develop a PEM electrolyzer solution for SwitcH2, a Rotterdam-based firm leading the project.
SwitcH2, supported by BW Offshore, plans to install the electrolyzers on a floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel, which has received approval in principle from DNV. The project will use treated seawater to produce green hydrogen onboard, which will then be converted into green ammonia and offloaded onto carriers for delivery.
Power for the electrolyzers will be sourced from newly constructed solar facilities and existing onshore wind capacity. Once operational in 2029, the plant is expected to produce approximately 55,000 tonnes of green hydrogen and 300,000 tonnes of green ammonia annually, complying with EU regulations on Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin. This green hydrogen project aims to serve off-takers in the shipping industry looking to utilize green ammonia as a sustainable marine fuel.
A spokesperson for Ohmium noted that this project approach allows for rapid construction and permitting by using a mobile asset positioned near renewable energy sources. The vessel will house all 300 MW of electrolyzer capacity, along with desalination and ammonia synthesis equipment.
While SwitcH2 has not disclosed the exact location of the FPSO, the company has expressed interest in participating in a floating offshore wind auction with Portuguese authorities earlier this year.
Bob Rietveldt, director and co-founder of SwitcH2, stated, “We are pleased to have Ohmium join us in making this pioneering project possible. Ohmium’s compact, hyper-modular PEM electrolyzers are ideally suited for the space-constrained FPSO setting, offering high efficiency and facilitating rapid installation at scale.”
This initiative is part of a broader trend in offshore green hydrogen production and green ammonia synthesis, following similar proposals such as H2Carrier’s plans for a 1.55 gigawatts offshore wind project in Norway for green hydrogen production on a floating vessel.
