Projects Update

Europe

Shell starts up Europe’s largest PEM electrolyzer

Europe’s largest PEM H2 electrolyzer commenced operations at Shell’s Energy and Chemicals Park Rheinland in July, producing green H2. Plans are underway to expand capacity of the electrolyzer from 10 MW to 100 MW at the Rheinland site, near Cologne. The Rheinland electrolyzer will use renewable electricity to produce up to 1,300 metric tpy of green H2. The H2 will initially be used to produce fuels with lower carbon intensity.

NextChem, Mytilineos study green H2 plant in Italy

Maire Tecnimont subsidiary NextChem and Mytilineos plan to jointly develop engineering activities for the implementation of a green H2 plant in Italy.

Under the agreement, Mytilineos will leverage NextChem’s and Maire Tecnimont Group’s engineering expertise in H2 technologies to grow in the H2 business. The project will convert renewable energy from one of Mytilineos’ solar plants into green H2.  

Air Liquide to transform German H2 network

Air Liquide is planning to build a green H2 production plant in Oberhausen, Germany. With a total capacity to reach 30 MW, the first phase of the project is expected to be operational by early 2023 with 20 MW.

The world-scale PEM electrolyzer will be built by a partnership of Air Liquide and Siemens Energy. By 2023, the two partners will implement a 20-MW electrolyzer plant that will produce renewable H2 and renewable O2. In a second phase, Air Liquide has planned to increase the plant capacity to 30 MW.

Asia-Pacific

FFI studies green H2 in New Zealand, India

Fortescue Future Industries and the Murihiku Hapu people have entered into a collaboration agreement to study and potentially construct a large-scale green H2 generation project in Southland, New Zealand. The project seeks to build a large-scale H2 plant, with the goal of starting production in early 2025 and expanding in stages in the future.

FFI has also entered into a framework agreement with JSW Future Energy Ltd. to explore opportunities to develop green H2 projects in India. Under the agreement, FFI and JSW Energy will study potential projects for the production of green H2 for steelmaking, mobility, green ammonia and other industrial applications in India.

Study for H2 supply chain in South Australia

ENEOS Corp. has signed an MOU with Neoen Australia to conduct a study on a collaboration for the construction of a CO2-free H2 supply chain between Japan and South Australia.

Neoen will study stable renewable energy supply and water electrolysis cells for H2 production. ENEOS will be responsible for more efficient production of methylcyclohexane (MCH) and maritime transport of MCH as a form of H2 storage and transport from Australia to Japan.

North America

Entergy plans H2/gas plant in Texas

Entergy Texas Inc. is seeking approval to construct the Orange County Advanced Power Station, a 1,215-MW, dual-fuel, combined-cycle power facility. The plant will be capable of powering more than 230,000 homes with a combination of natural gas and H2.

In addition to meeting customer needs across Southeast Texas, the Orange County Advanced Power Station will be built with a focus on long-term sustainability in an economy where many stakeholders and customers are focused increasingly on decarbonization.

If the Public Utility Commission approves Entergy’s application, construction will begin in 2Q 2023. Entergy Texas expects the plant to be in service by summer 2026.

CF Industries to build green ammonia plant in Louisiana

Thyssenkrupp has entered into an engineering and supply contract with CF Industries to deliver a green H2 plant for the production of green ammonia at the Donaldsonville manufacturing complex in Louisiana. Under the contract, thyssenkrupp will engineer and deliver a 20-MW H2 production unit based on its alkaline water electrolysis, as well as all necessary utilities.

The plant will utilize renewable energy from the grid to produce green H2, which then will be converted to 20,000 tpy of green ammonia. Engineering and procurement activities have been initiated, and the start of production is scheduled for 2023.

Middle East/Africa

HYPORT Duqm develops green ammonia in Oman

Oman’s green H2 project, HYPORT Duqm, has signed a cooperation agreement with Uniper. Under the cooperation, Uniper will be joining the project team to provide engineering services and negotiate an exclusive offtake agreement for green ammonia.

In the first phase, the HYPORT Duqm project will develop a 250-MW to 500-MW green H2 facility in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm. The facility is planned to come into operation in 2026 and will respond to global demand for green H2 and its derivatives. HYPORT Duqm Phase 1 will establish a complete power-to-product value chain at utility scale to produce competitive green H2 and green ammonia.

South America

Howden provides H2 compression for green methanol plant

Howden has been selected to deliver an H2 compression solution to Johnson Matthey (JM) for the world’s first methanol plant to harness energy from the wind, in Patagonia, Chile. The Haru Oni project will enable production of e-fuels to supply Europe and other regions.

The JM-designed unit will take atmospheric CO2 as feedstock for the conversion to e-methanol. This CO2 will be recovered by direct air capture and combined with green H2 produced by PEM electrolysis. The new production unit will deliver around 900,000 l/yr of e-methanol as early as 2022, with future full-scale production units ready by 2026 delivering 550 MM l/yr of e-fuels.