Thursday 9 April 2020

ABB brings fuel cell technology a step closer to powering ocean-going ships

ABB has joined forces with Hydrogène de France (HDF) to jointly manufacture megawatt-scale fuel cell systems capable of powering ocean-going vessels.

Building on an existing collaboration with Ballard Power Systems, ABB and HDF intend to optimise fuel cell manufacturing capabilities to produce a megawatt-scale power plant for marine vessels.

The new system will be based on the fuel cell power plant jointly developed by ABB and Ballard and will be manufactured at HDF’s new facility in Bordeaux, France.

Damien Havard, CEO of HDF, said: “HDF is very excited to cooperate with ABB to assemble and produce megawatt-scale fuel cell systems for the marine market based on Ballard technology.”

Juha Koskela, Managing Director of ABB Marine & Ports said: “With the ever-increasing demand for solutions that enable sustainable, responsible shipping, we are confident that fuel cells will play an important role in helping the marine industry meet carbon dioxide emissions reduction targets."

With shipping responsible for about 2.5% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions, there is an increased pressure for the maritime industry to transition to more sustainable power sources.

The International Maritime Organization, a United Nations agency responsible for regulating shipping, has set a global target to cut annual emissions by at least 50% by 2050 from 2008 levels.