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Projects Update
PROJECTS UPDATE
Lee Nichols, Editor-in-Chief/Associate Publisher
AFRICA
JV to develop Namibia’s first green H2 production plant
The O&L Group and CMB.TECH are developing an $18-MM green H2 production plant in the Erongo region of Namibia. The plant will act as a demonstration hub for H2 applications. The JV—Cleanergy Namibia—plan to develop multiple green H2 projects in country from solar power. The produced H2 will be used as a clean fuel for heavy-duty trucks, locomotives, mining equipment and ships.
Construction of the plant is scheduled to begin this year, with operations to commence by 2024. A second phase may be added to produce ammonia as a transportation fuel. At the time of this publication, a decision on Phase 2 had not been announced.
Egypt explores the construction of a green H2-to-ammonia facility
Petrofac is preparing a feasibility study for Mediterranean Energy Partners for a potential green H2-to-ammonia facility in Egypt. The plant, to be developed in Ain Sokhna Port on the Gulf of the Suez, will use a mixture of solar and wind energy to produce 125,000 tpy of green ammonia.
ASIA-PACIFIC
Airbus to study H2 hub in Singapore
Airbus signed a cooperation agreement with Changi Airport Group, Linde and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore to study the potential for a future H2 hub in Singapore. Under the collaboration, the partners will look at how H2 can be transported, stored and delivered to aircraft at existing and new airports. Airbus plans to provide characteristics on aircraft configuration and fleet energy usage, insight on H2-powered aircraft for group operations and data on the estimated H2 ramp-up at airports.
Risen Energy to supply PV modules to Sinopec’s green H2 project in China
Risen Energy Co. has won the bid to supply TITAN 650W PV modules to Sinopec’s green H2 demonstration project in Kuqa County, Xinjiang. Once completed, the 361-MW project is expected to be the world’s largest PV-based H2 production facility and is regarded as a breakthrough in promoting the transformation of China’s big traditional energy producers.
Sinopec is investing more than $470 MM on the Xinjiang Kuqa Green H2 Pilot Project. Upon completion, the facility will produce 20,000 tpy of green H2. The plant will use large-scale photovoltaic (PV) power generation. The project includes a new 300-MW PV power station, a 20,000-tpy electrolyzed water H2 plant, a 210,000-m3 H2 storage tank and H2 transmission pipelines. The facility is scheduled to begin operations in mid-2023.
CANADA
Suncor, Hazer Group and FortisBC collaborate on Canadian H2 project
The Hazer Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Suncor and FortisBC to develop a 2,500-tpy H2 project in Canada. The MoU includes a feasibility study, securing financing and project development.
Suncor will lead the development of the project through the initial feasibility study, engineering and construction phases. The company will also operate the facility once built. FortisBC will supply natural gas feedstock to the project and will purchase H2 produced from the facility. Hazer will supply its proprietary process, as well as lead engineering relating to the facility’s process technology and manage the supply of catalyst to the project.
EUROPE
Uniper to supply green H2 to SALCOS project
Uniper has finalized an agreement with Salzgitter AG to supply green H2 to the company’s SALCOS project in Salzgitter, Germany. The SALCOS project’s aim is to use renewable technologies for CO2-free steel production.
Uniper plans supply green H2 from its operations in Wilhelmshaven, where the company is developing two separate projects:
- An import terminal capable of converting green ammonia back into H2
- A 1,000-MW electrolysis plant to produce green H2.
The green H2 produced will replace coal that is currently being used in Salzgitter AG’s blast furnaces. This process will enable the company to reduce CO2 emissions in steel making by more than 95%.
Tree Energy Services accelerating development of Wilhelmshaven project
Tree Energy Services (TES) has announced plans to accelerate development of its Wilhelmshaven green gas import project. The company’s goal is to develop a world-class European green energy hub in Germany. The hub will provide sustainable, reliable, clean, non-intermittent energy to leading German customers in the mobility, industrial and power sectors in the form of green H2, green gas and green power.
In its initial phase, 25 TWh/yr of green gas will be imported into Wilhelmshaven. This volume can produce 500,000 tpy of H2. Phase 1 is scheduled to be completed in Q4 2025.
HyDeal España to create largest integrated H2 hub
HyDeal España is the first industrial implementation of the HyDeal Ambition platform—a consortium of 30 European energy companies. The goal of the platform is to deliver 100% green H2 across Europe at €1.5/kg ($1.66/kg) before 2030. The consortium plans to build 95 GW of solar capacity and 67 GW of electrolysis capacity on the Iberian Peninsula by 2030. This capacity will produce 3.6 MMtpy of green H2 for users in the energy, industry and mobility sectors. The use of green H2 will help Spain wean off the use of fossil fuels and provide zero-carbon energy for multiple industry sectors.
Air Liquide advances Normand’Hy renewable H2 project
Air Liquide has received support from the French State to launch its Normand’Hy large-scale renewable H2 project. Located in Port-Jérôme, Normandy, France, the 200-MW electrolyzer will provide renewable H2 to TotalEnergies’ Normandy refinery. The proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer will use Siemens Energy technology.
The project is scheduled to be commissioned in 2025. Once operational, Normand’Hy will avoid 250,000 tpy of CO2 emissions. The project is part of a wider-scale initiative to decarbonize the Normandy industrial basin.
RWE and Neptune sign deal to accelerate development of the H2opZee project
RWE and Neptune Energy signed a joint development agreement to develop the offshore demonstration project H2opZee. The demonstration project, located in the North Dutch Sea, includes the installation of a 300-MW–500-MW electrolyzer to produce green H2 from offshore wind. The green H2 will then be transported to land via a 10-GW–12-GW pipeline. The two companies plan to start a feasibility study on the project this year.
The H2opZee project consists of two phases. Phase 1 include the feasibility study. Phase 2 includes the full implementation of the project.
MIDDLE EAST
JV to develop world-scale green ammonia project in Oman
Scatec ASA and ACME Group have signed a 50/50 JV agreement to develop a world-scale green ammonia facility in Oman. The two-phased project will be built in the Duqm Special Economic Zone. Phase 1 will use a 300-MW electrolyzer—powered by 500 MW of solar power—to produce 100,000 tpy of green ammonia. After the completion of both phases, the facility will be able to produce 1.2 MMtpy of green ammonia. This project will help Oman towards its goal of building a hub for green H2 and ammonia.
U.S.
Southern California Gas to build nation’s largest green H2 infrastructure system
Southern California Gas Co. announced plans to develop the Angeles Link, which, if built, will be the largest green H2 infrastructure system in the U.S. The system will deliver green H2 to the Los Angeles region. According to Southern California Gas Co., the Angeles Link would support the integration of more renewable electricity resources like solar and wind and would significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from electric generation, industrial processes, heavy-duty trucks and other hard-to-electrify sectors of the Southern California economy. The proposed system would significantly decrease demand for natural gas, diesel and other fossil fuels in the Los Angeles Basin, helping accelerate California’s climate and clean air goals.
Benefits of the Angeles Link include:
- Displacing up t o3 MMgpd of diesel by replacing diesel powered heavy-duty truck with H2 fuel cell trucks
- Eliminating nearly 25,000 tpy of smog forming nitric oxide (NOx) and 14.3 MMtpy of CO2—the equivalent of taking 3.1 MM cars off the road
- Converting up to four natural gas power plants to green H2.
ExxonMobil planning H2 production and CCS at Baytown complex
ExxonMobil is planning to build a H2 production plant and develop one of the world’s largest carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects at its integrated complex in Baytown, Texas. The project would produce up to 1 Bft3d of blue H2 that would fuel the site’s olefins plant, while the CCS project would be able to store 10 MMtpy of CO2.
Using H2 as a fuel for the olefins plant could reduce the integrated complex’s Scope 1 and 2 CO2 emissions by up to 30%, as well as enable the site to manufacture lower-emissions products for its customers. Access to surplus H2 and CO2 storage capacity would be made available to nearby industry.
The CCS project would form ExxonMobil’s initial contribution to a Houston CCS hub, which aims to capture and store up to 50 MMtpy of CO2 and 100 MMtpy of CO2 by 2030 and 2040, respectively. FID on both projects is scheduled for 2024/2025.
Consortium signs MoU for GW-scale green fuels hub on Texas Gulf Coast
A consortium consisting of EPIC Midstream Holdings, Apex Clean Energy, Ares Management Corp. and the Port of Corpus Christi have singed a non-binding MoU to explore the development of a green fuels hub at the Port of Corpus Christi, Texas. The project will consist of green H2 and fuels production, storage, transportation, pipelines and export operations.
EPIC is considering leveraging its pipeline and construction expertise to develop new green fuels pipelines. Apex plans to use its wind and solar projects to produce green H2 to power facilities to produce green fuels.
ABB to electrify two green H2 plants in North America
Plug Power has awarded ABB two contracts to supply electrical systems for two green H2 plants. The plants, to be built in Genesee County, New York and Peachtree, Georgia, will have a total H2 production of 60 tpd.
At the Genesee County plant, ABB will install a full electrical system encased in the company’s eHouse solution, a prefabricated, walk-in, modular outdoor substation hosting a range of electrical, automation and ancillary equipment to provide power to the site. ABB will also provide supply gas and air insulated switchgear low-voltage motor control centers, along with low-voltage variable speed drives for auxiliary applications. The Peachtree plant plans to have a similar package.
The H2 produced at these facilities will be used for logistics and transportation sectors, enabling users to replace fossil fuels in on-road applications such as heavy-duty freight vehicles and forklifts.
Air Products invests to decarbonize California’s transportation sector
Air Products plans to build, own and operate a 10-tpd liquid H2 facility in Casa Grande, Arizona. The facility will use two thyssenkrupp nucera electrolyzers to produce gaseous H2, which will be converted into liquid H2 using Air Products’ proprietary technology. The liquid H2 will be sold into the California mobility market as a zero-carbon fuel.
California has taken several steps to decarbonize its transportation sector. These goals include having drayage trucks emit zero emissions by 2035 and having heavy-duty vehicles convert to zero emissions by 2045. Air Products’ facility is scheduled to begin operations in 2023.
Ørsted enters U.S. Power-to-X market with landmark green fuels agreement
Ørsted plans to develop a Power-to-X facility along the U.S. Gulf Coast to fuel Maersk’s newly ordered fleet of 12 methanol-powered vessels. The 675-MW facility will produce approximately 300,000 tpy of e-methanol. The facility will be powered by 1.2 GW of renewable energy from onshore wind and solar PV farms. The biogenic carbon needed to produce e-methanol will be extracted through carbon capture at one of more large point sources.
FID on the project is expected to be made in late 2023. If greenlighted, the project is scheduled to be commissioned in late 2025. The e-methanol will be sold to Maersk. The project is part of Ørsted’s goal of building 50 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030.
Hydrogen City, Texas: A world-scale H2 hub
Green Hydrogen International is planning develop Hydrogen City, Texas, an integrated green H2 production, storage and transport hub. The H2 hub will be powered by 60 GW of solar and wind power to produce more than 2.5 MMkg/y of green H2.
The project is centered around a H2 storage facility in the Piedras Pintas salt dome in Duval County, Texas. Pipelines will deliver green H2 to Corpus Christi and Brownsville where it will be converted into green ammonia, sustainable aviation fuel and other products, or delivered by pipeline directly to H2 power plants and other users around the state.
The project’s first phase is scheduled to commence in 2026. It consists of 2 GW of production and two storage caverns at the Piedras Pintas salt dome. Eventually, more than 50 caverns can be created in the area, providing up to 6 TWh of energy storage and turning the dome into a major green H2 storage hub.
Green Hydrogen International is also exploring the opportunity to export green ammonia to Asia, such as Japan. Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry plans to add 30 MMtpy of renewable ammonia to the country’s energy mix by 2050.H2T
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