Sweden's PowerCell Secures SEK 15 Million Marine Fuel Cell Order

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On November 10, Swedish fuel cell manufacturer PowerCell was awarded a SEK 15 million (approximately USD 1.5 million) order by Spanish hydrogen technology company H2SITE to supply Marine System 225 fuel cell systems for the Norwegian HydraNord Power shipboard ammonia-to-hydrogen power generation project, along with engineering design, system integration, and commissioning services. The contract execution period runs from the fourth quarter of 2026 through the end of 2028, with the project scheduled to complete system development and integration in 2027 and begin commissioning in early 2028.

HydraNord Power is led by H2SITE, with the core task of using ammonia as a hydrogen carrier to obtain high-purity hydrogen through ammonia cracking at the point of use, which is then converted into electricity by fuel cells. The core equipment for which H2SITE is responsible adopts membrane reactor technology, integrating ammonia cracking and hydrogen separation into a single process system that directly outputs the high-purity hydrogen required by the fuel cells while controlling residual ammonia entering the fuel cell system. The project is designed for a maximum hydrogen production of 1 tonne per day, with an integrated system net power output of 700 kW.

The Marine System 225 supplied by PowerCell is a marine fuel cell platform, and the scope of supply includes not only equipment but also engineering design, system integration, and commissioning services. The two companies will connect the ammonia-to-hydrogen equipment with the fuel cell power generation equipment to form a complete technology chain from ammonia fuel processing to power output. The system features a modular design that allows different numbers of modules to be configured according to vessel type and power requirements, targeting both newbuilds and retrofits of existing vessels, and supporting either standalone fuel cell power supply or hybrid power configurations.

Project participants also include Norwegian energy company Equinor, car carrier operator Höegh Autoliners, Breeze Ship Design, Sustainable Energy Catapult Centre, Alltec, and Maritime CleanTech. These parties cover vessel requirements, system design, fuel cell equipment, engineering integration, and testing. Norwegian state energy enterprise Enova provided NOK 39.1 million (approximately EUR 3.4 million) in funding support to the project in September 2026; this funding is project grant funding and is different in nature from the SEK 15 million equipment and services order received by PowerCell.

The complete system is planned for land-based installation and testing at the Energy House facility in Stord, Norway, with test conditions simulating a commercial vessel operating environment.

The project primarily targets auxiliary power and hybrid power systems for ocean-going vessels, and also involves offshore operations and other high-energy-consumption maritime scenarios. Its technical approach does not feed ammonia directly into the fuel cell; instead, hydrogen is first produced through a cracking unit and then used by the fuel cell to generate electricity.