In March, a team from Econnect Energy sat in the office in Oslo and understood that Germany needed help to get gas ashore unusually quickly. The country faced a serious energy crisis without Russian piped gas, and did not have a single port reception to get gas from other countries. For ten years, the former NTNU students have been working on a coupling to empty ships and get them over to land, without being dependent on land-based facilities. – We have a floating solution that is much faster and cheaper and that does not destroy the seabed, says managing director Morten Christophersen. Had to change plans On Monday, he was in Wilhelmshaven in Germany to sign a contract with the hydrogen company Tes. The contract is a milestone for a company with 25 employees. – It is very large for us, we are talking about a few hundred million kroner, so it is a very large contract and we will deliver it before winter next year. So here everyone is at the pumps, says managing director Morten Christophersen. The Econnect Energy management traveled to Wilhelmshaven to sign the contract with Tes on Monday. From left are commercial director Magnus Eikens, sales director Bjarne Eia, technology director Jens Schmidt in Tes and managing director Morten Christophersen in Econnect. Photo: Econnect Tes has actually planned to build a green port for fossil-free fuel since 2019. But a few days after the Ukraine war broke out, it became clear that the port would also have to be built to receive gas. The agreement applies to the fifth reception, which will be completed in autumn 2023, and which can also be used for fossil-free purposes from 2025, according to Tes. – This will pave the way for providing energy security to Europe in the short and long term in a fast and cost-effective way with the least possible environmental impact, says technology director Jens Schmidt in Tes. The government: – Brilliant news The NTNU students’ solution can be used for gas, hydrogen, ammonia, and also for carbon capture in the long term. Colleague and commercial director Magnus Eikens is impressed by how quickly the Germans and the Belgian company Tes have thrown themselves around. – It has gone quite quickly compared to other energy projects that take years. Here we will reach the goal in a few months, he says. Norway has already increased its export of gas since last autumn, and cannot supply more in the short term. Industry Minister Jan Christian Vestre (Ap) believes the contract shows that small businesses can develop world-class technology. – I think this is brilliant news that everyone in Norway should be proud of. It just shows the innovative power of Norwegian business, and how we can contribute to the energy transformation in Europe. Both in the short term and longer term, he says. Industry Minister Jan Christian Vestre (Ap) has a target for Norway to increase exports by 50 per cent by 2030. Photo: Tale Hauso / news
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– Here, everyone is at the pumps – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
