NEWS

The project will contribute to the decarbonization of several industries, enabling major emission reductions in the metallurgical sector. Vow Green Metals is one of five Norwegian companies to receive funding this year.

“Congratulations to Vow Green Metals for developing projects and implementing technologies that can deliver emission cuts in sectors where it is particularly challenging to reduce emissions. This can make an important contribution to both Norwegian and European metallurgical industries,” said Minister of Climate and Environment Andreas Bjelland Eriksen.

Vow Green Metals, a leading Norwegian producer of biocarbon and other carbon-neutral products, has been awarded EUR 26,188,000 from the EU Innovation Fund to build a large-scale biocarbon production facility with a total annual production capacity of around 30,000 tons. The project is groundbreaking in terms of circularity and industrial symbiosis, and will annually convert approximately 95,000 tons of biomass into biocarbon and bio-oil, which can help decarbonize a range of industries. At the same time, Vow Green Metals will supply surplus energy and biogenic CO₂ to surrounding businesses, enabling a total annual emissions reduction of more than 100,000 tons of CO₂.

Scaling up new biocarbon projects is an important step toward building a new green industry that promotes transformation and competitiveness in the Norwegian and European process industries.

“This is not only an important breakthrough for us at Vow Green Metals, but also a recognition of the value potential of large-scale pyrolysis-based industry, and a major contribution to our work to scale this industry and reach a production capacity of 200,000 tons of biocarbon by 2030. Biocarbon plays a key role in the decarbonization of the metallurgical industry, and we are noting a strong interest from the EU in realizing large-scale biocarbon projects that can contribute to this transition,” said Cecilie Jonassen, CEO of Vow Green Metals.

Enova is Norway’s national contact point for the EU Innovation Fund.

“The Innovation Fund is an important instrument for bringing forward technologies that deliver significant emission reductions. The success of Norwegian projects shows that we have companies capable of developing and delivering world-class solutions,” said Nils Kristian Nakstad, CEO of Enova.

Close collaboration with local stakeholders The large-scale project will be built at Viken Park, an industrial area under development outside Fredrikstad, Norway. The zoning process for the new industrial area is currently underway. Vow Green Metals is working closely with local stakeholders on the realization of the project, which is based on locally developed pyrolysis technology from C.H. Evensen, a Fredrikstad-based industrial company with a world-leading position in industrial heat treatment. Vow Green Metals is also collaborating with CarbonCentric, a carbon capture company based in Sarpsborg. The project is expected to generate significant ripple effects in the form of procurement, industrial activity, and new permanent jobs in industrial operations and competence roles.

Biocarbon as a climate solution Biocarbon has been identified as a key climate measure in the Norwegian Environment Agency’s knowledge base for 2025, with large potential to reduce fossil emissions in the coming years. According to the agency, increased use of biocarbon could reduce emissions by over 1.4 million tons of CO₂ equivalents by 2030, and more than 1.6 million tons by 2035. This potential is mainly based on replacing fossil coal with biocarbon in the metallurgical industry. Vow Green Metals holds a leading position as a supplier of biocarbon to this industry and has signed long-term delivery agreements with Elkem, one of the world’s leading companies in silicon-based materials, and Outokumpu, the Finnish steel giant.

New ownership structure and international ambitions In July this year, it was announced that HitecVision, a leading investor in the European energy and industry sector, had become the new majority owner of Vow Green Metals, together with regional energy companies Vardar AS and Skagerak Energipartner AS. The ambition is for Vow Green Metals to become a leading producer of biocarbon in Europe. The owners will support the company’s strategy to realize full production capacity at the large-scale production plant in Hønefoss and to develop additional production plants. The Hønefoss plant will commence operations later this year, and Vow Green Metals currently has several projects under development, including at Viken Park in Østfold and Eiktyr Industrial Park in Orkland, where the company, in collaboration with local partners, plans to build large-scale biocarbon production facilities. The tagret is to build a series of new plants and reach a total production capacity of 200,000 tons of biocarbon by 2030.

For more information, please contact: Mathias Nilsen Reierth Director of Corporate Affairs and Commercial Vow Green Metals Tel: +47 988 05 724 Email: mathias.reierth@vowgreenmetals.com