ABB is collaborating with Lhyfe, a world pioneer in the production of renewable H₂, and Skyborn, a global leader in renewable energy, to jointly realize and optimize one of Europe’s most ambitious renewable H₂ projects ever, SoutH2Port.

The new H₂ production plant, operated by Lhyfe and Skyborn, will be in the municipality of Söderhamn, Sweden, and connected to Skyborn’s 1-GW offshore wind farm in nearby Storgrundet. When fully operational, it is expected to produce about 240 tpd of H₂, with an installed capacity of 600 MW, making it one of the largest suppliers of renewable H₂ in Europe.

“This collaboration is a key part of our strategy in both the H₂ 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. H₂ plays a crucial role in helping achieve the world’s climate goals when it comes to decarbonizing the industrial and transportation sectors.”

As part of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the companies, ABB will apply critical expertise to optimize the integration of the H₂ and electricity production across the entire ecosystem including automation, electrical and digital technologies and drive the development of scalable, commercial energy transition projects in and around the region. The aim is to explore opportunities to tie-in Power-to-X conversion technologies turning renewably sourced electricity into carbon-neutral energy carriers, such as H₂, and storing the energy for later use.

"We are delighted to have such a global technology leader as ABB, who shares our conviction in the Power-to-X potential of the SoutH2Port project, join our collaboration with Lhyfe. I look forward to taking this project to the next level with the help of ABB and their unrivalled expertise within this field,” said Achim Berge Olsen, Chairman of Skyborn Renewables Sweden.

“By combining our expertise and solutions, we can cost-effectively and safely expand the value creation attached to the scale up of renewable H₂ production,” said Taia Kronborg, co-founder and Chief Business Officer at Lhyfe. “Skyborn’s track record in offshore wind power, Lhyfe’s expertise in renewable H₂ production coupled with ABB’s technological expertise creates new opportunities for enabling Power-to-X solutions linked with renewable H₂ production at scale.”

The new plant will support the decarbonization of the Swedish energy system, either directly with H₂ supply or by further downstream production of refined fuels such as methanol, sustainable aviation fuel or ammonia – contributing to the government’s plans to become the world’s first fossil-free welfare country by 2045. SoutH2port will also further contribute to boosting the attractiveness and competitiveness of the region and local society through the creation of new jobs and business opportunities.