TotalEnergies launches call for tenders for supply of green hydrogen
As part of the drive to decarbonise its European refineries, TotalEnergies is launching a call for tenders for the supply of 500,000 tonnes/year of green hydrogen. The use of green hydrogen should avoid the emission of around 5 million tonnes/year of CO2 from the company’s European refineries by 2030.
TotalEnergies has six refineries in Europe – Antwerp (Belgium), Leuna (Germany), Zeeland (Netherlands), Normandy, Donges and Feyzin (France) – as well as two biorefineries in La Mède and Grandpuits (France), all of which use hydrogen. The company wants to replace 500,00 tonnes/year of this hydrogen consumed in its refineries with green hydrogen produced with renewable energies by 2030.
This is a major step towards achieving TotalEnergies’ objective of reducing the net greenhouse gas emissions directly linked to its oil and gas operations (Scopes 1+2) by 40% by 2030 compared to 2015 levels.
TotalEnergies adds it is committed to reducing the carbon footprint of producing, converting and supplying energy to its customers. One of the levers identified by the company is to use green or low carbon hydrogen to decarbonize its European refineries, a move that should help reduce its CO2 emissions by around 5 million tonnes/year by 2030. In addition to this call for tenders, hydrogen-related projects have already been announced at:
- La Mède: The Masshylia project to produce green hydrogen for the biorefinery’s needs is in progress in partnership with Engie.
- Grandpuits: In November 2022, TotalEnergies and Air Liquide signed a partnership agreement to develop an innovative, circular system for producing 20,000 tonnes/year of hydrogen that is partly renewable thanks to the recycling of residual biogas from the biorefinery.
- Leuna: In June 2023, TotalEnergies and VNG, a German natural gas distribution company, signed an agreement for the future supply of green hydrogen to the Leuna refinery.
- Normandy: In September 2023, TotalEnergies and Air Liquide signed an agreement for the future supply of up to 15,000 tonnes/year of green and low carbon hydrogen to the TotalEnergies complex in Normandy.
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OCI to double methanol capacity at US plant
Dutch company OCI Global says it will double its green methanol production capacity at its facility in Beaumont, Texas, US, to 400,000 tonnes/year ahead of 2025, since demand for green methanol from high-emissions industries will grow by more than 6 million tonnes by 2028.
The green methanol will come from a mix of renewable feedstocks including renewable natural gas (RNG), green hydrogen and other over-the-fence feedstock partnerships, according to OCI. The product will principally be used as a fuel blend in place of petrol, used for shipping and heavy industry.
The scale-up at OCI’s facility will include entering into new supply agreements for RNG exceeding 15,000 MMBtu per day. Renewable natural gas, or biogas, is produced from the decomposition of organic matter. It can be transported and used in much the same way as conventional natural gas.
OCI plans to produce the biogas from a decomposing landfill, but the company is yet to secure waste and development rights from the City of Beaumont offices.
This facility will be OCI’s first upstream RNG production facility, with fabrication of the gas beginning in the first quarter of 2025.
“We are seeing encouraging signs with regulatory support for both ammonia and methanol in shipping, such as the EU’s FuelEU maritime regulation and the latest IMO strategy bolstering the value of low carbon and green methanol and ammonia relative to fossil fuels,” said Ahmed El-Hoshy, CEO of OCI, in a statement.
