Fertiberia, the largest producer of plant nutrition solutions on the Iberian Peninsula, takes another decisive step towards leading not only the energy transition in the European plant nutrition industry but also in the transport and energy sector.
- In this respect, it has signed a cooperation agreement with Horisont Energi, a Norwegian clean energy company, to jointly develop the Barents Blue project in Finnmark (Norway): the largest clean ammonia production plant in Europe.
The concept of the Barents Blue project is to use natural gas from the field in the Barents Sea to produce ammonia. During the production process, virtually all of the carbon will be captured and permanently stored in the Polaris CO2 geological storage. Once operational, the facility will have a production capacity of 3,000 tonnes of ammonia per day and will be the most energy efficient plant in the world.
Javier Goñi, CEO of Grupo Fertiberia, highlights that "our integration in this project is highly synergistic. We bring to Barents Blue our experience as a European leader in the plant nutrition sector, with more than five decades of experience in the design, maintenance and operation of ammonia plants and valuable knowledge in the management of their supply chains."
Fertiberia was the first major company in the sector to manufacture ammonia and plant nutrition solutions without CO2. "Being part of the Barents Blue project is a new opportunity to accelerate our transformation and growth process in the production of clean ammonia, to extend its uses to new areas such as transport and energy and to become the first company in our sector to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035", adds Goñi.
In turn, Bjørgulf Haukelidsæter Eidesen, CEO of Horisont Energi, assures that "we are proud to announce the cooperation agreement with Fertiberia, which brings significant experience and expertise in developing green ammonia projects on an industrial scale. Fertiberia and Horisont Energi share ambition to accelerate the transition to carbon neutrality through pioneering projects." He also indicates that "Equinor and Vår Energi have been instrumental in bringing the project to maturity during the development phase that ended on 31 January. We now look forward to working with Fertiberia to make the project a reality and thus contribute to the decarbonisation of European industry and transport."
The two companies have signed a cooperation agreement for the development of Barents Blue with a view to a full partnership agreement from 1 April 2023. Fertiberia and Horisont Energi will each have a 50% share in the project following the agreement.
The project has a grant of NOK 482 million under the EU's IPCEI hydrogen programme which will not be affected by the changes in the consortium of partners. The award of the IPCEI (Important Project of Common European Interest) confirms the great potential and innovative character of Barents Blue.
For further information
Fertiberia
- Rocío Domínguez Ruiz de Castro, Head of communication
Horistont Energi
- Bjørgulf Haukelidsæter Eidesen, CEO
- +47 990 36 892
- bhe@horisontenergi.com
- Dan Jarle Flølo, CFO
- +47 901 13 159
- djf@horisontenergi.com
- Siri Melberg, Head of communication
- +47 470 35 718
- sm@horisontenergi.com
More about Horisont Energy
A Norwegian clean energy company providing clean energy and carbon transport and storage services.
The company will transform natural and renewable gases, water and renewable energy into clean ammonia and hydrogen and offer CO2 transport and storage services using proprietary technology, paving the way for a low-carbon economy.
The company was founded in 2019 and is headquartered in Sandnes (Norway).
More about Fertiberia
Fertiberia has over 1,600 employees and 14 industrial activity centres distributed all over the Iberian Peninsula and France.
The company's vision is to lead the green hydrogen value chain of the future in Europe to decarbonise agriculture and other sectors such as industry and transport, as well as to continue leading the development of sustainable, high added value solutions for crop nutrition.
It is also the first company in its sector to commit to achieving zero net emissions by 2035.
The company belongs to Triton Partners, which is driving its growth to make this Spanish company leader in the fertilisation of the future, allowing farmers to obtain higher yields with the highest level of environmental sustainability.
