ABS has granted New Technology Qualification (NTQ) approval to MODEC and Eld Energy for a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) power system built for floating production, storage and offloading vessels. The classification society confirmed the award on September 23, 2026.

The approval covers the Eld Power Module, which ABS said has cleared the Technology Feasibility and Concept Verification stages of the NTQ process. That places the hardware firmly in the qualification pipeline rather than in commercial service — a distinction operators weighing FPSO electrification options will note.

What does the module actually do?

The Eld Power Module is a high-efficiency solid oxide fuel cell designed to run on associated gas produced aboard FPSOs as well as on alternative fuels. That fuel flexibility matters for floaters working fields where associated gas is otherwise flared or reinjected.

MODEC and Eld Energy are targeting electrical efficiency of as much as 70 percent. They aim to reach that figure by pairing fuel recovery with carbon management integration.

The system is also engineered to connect with carbon capture equipment as that technology matures, according to ABS. In effect, the design anticipates a retrofit path that operators have so far had little reason to specify on production floaters.

Why the NTQ stage matters

ABS structures its NTQ process in defined stages, and the two the module has completed — Technology Feasibility and Concept Verification — sit at the front of that sequence. The classification body's statement confirms progress through early gates, not final type approval or class notation.

For MODEC, one of the largest FPSO lease operators in the sector, qualification of onboard fuel cell generation points at a longer-term shift in how floaters supply their own electrical load. Gas turbines burning associated or imported fuel currently dominate that duty.

What comes next?

The watch item is the next NTQ gate. Completion of subsequent qualification stages would move the Eld Power Module from verified concept toward deployable hardware — and toward a first FPSO application with a named operator and hull. Neither partner has announced a target unit or startup date, and no project-level commitment accompanies the approval.

ABS, MODEC and Eld Energy have also not disclosed the module's power rating, so sizing against typical FPSO topside loads — often tens of megawatts — remains an open question for specification engineers.