Press Release

Hammars Hill and Eneus Energy confirms Orkney Islands for first Green Ammonia Project.

Hammars Hill and Eneus Energy has announced submission of a joint planning application in Orkney.

The site, near Evie on the mainland of Orkney, will be powered by renewable energy generated by the Hammars Hill Wind Farm. The proposal to extend the operational development with the addition of a further two wind turbines forms part of the planning application.

Eneus Energy has been working closely with local wind development company Hammars Hill Energy Ltd. Eneus’ facility will turn electricity, water and air into ammonia (NH3) without releasing carbon emissions. The storage and transport of liquid ammonia uses the same technologies as Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) and provides the opportunity to work in new markets with existing fuel suppliers on the islands.

Orkney Islands Council (OIC) has long championed the use of hydrogen to assist in the decarbonisation of the islands’ transport and heat networks.

Eneus CEO Chris Bronsdon commented: “Orkney is an ideal location to kick off Eneus’ first UK project and contribute to growing the hydrogen economy with local partners.

“As an effective form of hydrogen storage, ammonia provides an ideal opportunity to support the islands’ decarbonisation agenda as it can be produced locally, and then stored, or used directly for power or heating purposes. The process to form green ammonia can also be reversed, which enables the supply of hydrogen for use in fuel cells, including ferries, Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles, and aviation. It is hoped that the hydrogen produced will boost the transition to low carbon fuels.”

Eneus Energy is engaged with the OIC and other local parties at this time to unlock the potential benefits to the local community.

This includes the potential for the creation of approximately six to seven Full Time Equivalent (FTE) positions during the operational lifetime of the hydrogen facility.

It is also intended that locally based technicians will be employed to monitor and operate the facility. Additionally, there will be opportunities for local employment and upskilling in the transportation of ammonia produced at the facility.

Eneus Energy and Hammars Hill Energy have been assisted by Scottish renewable development support experts, Green Cat Renewables (GCR).

GCR provided technical support and project management services, producing the planning and technical assessments to support the planning application. GCR will also act as planning agent for both parties during the planning process.

Hammars Hill Energy Ltd Director Alistair Gray commented:

“The proposed two new turbines will be owned and managed by Hammars Hill Energy Limited, the owners of the existing Hammars Hill Wind Farm. Hammars Hill Energy is locally owned and locally managed with around 90 per cent of the dividend returns going to Orkney addresses.

“The board sees the expansion of the existing site as an important step in extending the operation life of the existing project, which will also extend and enhance the current community benefit package.

“Orkney’s renewable energy sector is now a key part of the islands economy, supporting jobs, providing community benefit and generating investment, and is important to both local and national environmental ambitions and security of supply, despite being constrained by lack of grid capacity.

“The Hammars Hill Wind Farm is an excellent example of the transformational nature of island clean energy projects. Orkney has some of the UK’s best renewable energy resources yet being at the end of the National Grid, the islands face significant challenges in grid capacity constraints and infrastructure developments, underpinned by an unhelpful regulatory regime.

“As we face uncertainty around the proposed new transmission cable, we have been seeking alternative uses for the power generated by the proposed development, and, working with Eneus Energy and Green Cat Renewables, we are pleased to bring forward this exciting and innovative project.

“Dealing with the coronavirus crisis and its aftermath could be the imperative of our times, and the Board consider that low carbon investment could be used as a means to stimulate the economy and growth as part of a comprehensive recovery plan.”

GCR Director Gavin Catto said: “This is a very exciting project to be involved with, as the energy transition moves on from electricity, to heat and transport.

“Renewable hydrogen, and ammonia as a vector for transporting that hydrogen, is going to be a key component of this transition, and Green Cat Renewables is proud to be at the forefront of this.”

Eneus Energy integrate existing, proven, industrial technologies, in combination with renewable electricity, water and air to produce ‘green’ ammonia, without any associated greenhouse gas emissions.

Due to its low volumetric energy density, hydrogen requires either additional compression (as a gas), or cooling (liquefaction) to the point at which hydrogen gas forms a liquid, in order to increase the amount of hydrogen that is stored or transported. A major part of the cost of delivering hydrogen to consumers is therefore the cost of storing and moving hydrogen as a gas or liquid from where it is produced to where it is used.

Liquid ammonia (hydrogen density of 108g/L) carries around 52% more hydrogen than liquid hydrogen (hydrogen density of 71g/L), but requires much less energy to liquefy (-33°C), compared to hydrogen which forms a liquid at -253°C.

As a zero-carbon fuel, ammonia can be used directly in modified combustion engines and is one solution being considered as a replacement for the marine sector to meet GHG emissions targets. It can also be co-fired alongside existing fuels, to reduce carbon emissions.

For end-use hydrogen applications, a ‘cracking’ process liberates the hydrogen for final consumption via commercially available conversion technologies.

The Eneus team are currently developing several green ammonia and hydrogen plants worldwide.

Website: www.eneusenergy.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eneus-energy-limited

Green Cat Renewables is a renewable energy consultancy founded in December 2004 by Gavin Catto. The company has offices across Scotland in Biggar, Edinburgh, and Livingston, employing 50+ technical staff, and in 2017 opened a Canadian office, in Calgary, Alberta.

The company was established with an aim of driving down the costs associated with the development of renewables projects and making renewables accessible beyond the large developers and utilities.

Green Cat identified an opportunity to improve efficiency and reduce development costs by offering a complete in-house consultancy and project management service to deliver projects from initial conception to operation. Green Cat’s experience profile includes 500MW+ of wind, 200MW+ of solar and 20MW+ of hydro projects.

Website: www.greencatrenewables.co.uk

Twitter: www.twitter.com/greencatrenew

Facebook: www.facebook.com/greencatrenewables

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/green-cat-renewables-ltd