Enova, Norway's government fund for climate and energy, has allocated 236 million Norwegian kroner (approximately 25 million USD) to Hagland Shipping for the conversion of four cargo ships to battery power.
Project Details
This grant is the largest among a funding round totaling 420 million Norwegian kroner (approximately 45 million USD) for 12 battery-powered ships and two charging stations recently announced by Enova. The Hagland ships will swap their empty batteries for fully charged ones instead of stopping at the port to charge.
Specifications of the Ships and Future Operations
According to Enova, these four ships will be the first battery-powered cargo vessels trading between Norway and other countries. They will operate along the coasts of Norway and Northern Europe, each equipped with 40 megawatt-hours of battery capacity.
Kristiansand Havn has also received 15 million Norwegian kroner (approximately 1.61 million USD) in this funding round to build a charging and battery swapping station on Gismerøya Island in Mandal, with operations planned to commence in late 2028.
The Norwegian battery company Zen will be responsible for the swapping and charging of the batteries. Additionally, the Hagland ships will be equipped with wing sails to save energy.
The Hagland Progress is one of the four ships that will be converted to battery power. This ship was launched in 2023 as one of three hybrid battery-powered cargo ships by the Dutch shipbuilder Royal Bodewes. No mention was made of other ships to be converted in this announcement.
Enova has also supported several other projects in this funding round. For example, the shipping company Bulk Loaders has received 89 million Norwegian kroner (approximately 10 million USD) to build a battery-powered cargo ship with a capacity of 15 megawatt-hours, primarily transporting goods for the oil industry between Stavanger and Kristiansand.
Overall, Enova expects that the projects in this funding round will help reduce approximately 21,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually. Norway had only one fully or partially battery-powered ship in operation in 2015, and this number has now reached 561.
