Berlin: DWV wants to get involved in Aqua Ventus + + + Bulgaria: Network operator plans hydrogen pipeline to Greece + + + USA: Heliogen does not want to be bought by Continuum Renewables + + + Singapore: Linde supplies hydrogen to Evonik + + + Rotterdam: Sunfire installs 2,6 megawatt electrolyser at Neste + + + Events + + + DISCOUNT promotion: Your ADVERTISING on the PtX portal
A selection of PtX topics summarized at the end of the week
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Want to cooperate more closely (from left to right): Jörg Singer (1st CEO Aqua Ventus), Werner Diwald (DWV CEO), Robert Seehawer (Managing Director Aqua Ventus)
The German Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (DWV) eV and the Aqua Ventus Förderverein eV have signed a cooperation agreement. This also includes “close cooperation in the political design of proposals for the rapid and investment-safe ramp-up of offshore wind-hydrogen production in the German North Sea as well as the offshore pipeline transport of green hydrogen in the European network,” according to a statement. The “Aqua Ventus” association, founded at the beginning of 2021, wants to advance the installation of offshore wind turbines with an output of ten gigawatts in the North Sea between Heligoland and the Doggerbank sandbank in order to generate hydrogen offshore. According to the company's own information, around 100 companies, research institutes and organizations currently belong to the support association.
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Bulgarian natural gas pipeline and storage operator Bulgartransgaz EAD is planning two projects to expand its hydrogen infrastructure. In a draft of the most recent network development plan it is said that they are working with the Greek transmission system operator DESFA SA to jointly build a hydrogen transport network. The pipeline would start in Sofia, Bulgaria, and end in the Greek region of Sidirokastro, around 250 kilometers away. The investments are estimated at 860 million euros and commissioning is planned for 2029. The construction will enable additional cross-border connections to Romania. In addition, the existing Bulgarian gas pipeline network should be retrofitted to enable the addition of ten percent hydrogen. The investment costs would be 438 million euros, and commissioning is expected for 2027. According to Bulgartransgaz, the developments could form the basis for a future hydrogen route from southeast to central Europe. The draft ten-year plan for 2023 to 2032 is in the consultation phase.
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Heliogen has been operating solar-powered hydrogen production in Lancaster, California since 2019. © Heliogen Inc.
The US-based Heliogen Inc., a provider of electrolyzers that generate hydrogen using photovoltaics, rejects a takeover offer from the construction group Continuum Renewables LLC. The Contact of $0,40 per common share had already been received unsolicited on April 13th. Heliogen has now stated that this “significantly undervalues” the company. The total is less than the existing equity capital. For this and other reasons, the board concluded “that the proposal is not in the best interests of Heliogen and all of its shareholders.”
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Evonik's second methionine plant in Singapore was completed in 2019. © Evonik
The British manufacturer of industrial gases Linde plc has signed a long-term contract with the chemical company Evonik Industries AG to supply green hydrogen. According to the information, Linde will build, own and operate an alkaline electrolyzer plant with an output of nine megawatts on Jurong Island, Singapore. Evonik uses the green hydrogen produced there to produce methionine, a component of animal feed. The group wants to limit its greenhouse gas emissions at the Singapore plant. Linde will also use its facility on Jurong Island to supply the local market with green hydrogen. This is also a response to “increasing demand”. The electrolyzer is the largest ever installed in Singapore and will go into operation in 2024. Evonik employs around 700 people at six locations in the city state.
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Sunfire has installed a high-temperature electrolyser for the production of green hydrogen at the Neste refinery in Rotterdam. © Sunfire GmbH
The Sunfire Fuel Cells GmbH has installed the “world’s largest high-temperature electrolyser” for the production of green hydrogen at the Neste refinery in Rotterdam. In the past few months, the Dresden company has built twelve electrolysis modules. The project called “MultiPLHY” with a capacity of 2,6 megawatts is now entering the commissioning phase. The yield is over 60 kilograms per hour. The system is based on Sunfire's SOEC (Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell) technology, which requires temperatures of 850 degrees Celsius. The electrolyzer uses industrial waste heat and converts steam into hydrogen. Compared to other electrolysis solutions, Sunfire believes its SOEC technology is “the most efficient on the market, as the process significantly reduces power requirements at high temperatures.” The project is funded by the EU Clean Hydrogen Partnership. In addition to Sunfire and Neste, the consortium also includes the French research center CEA, the SMS Group company Paul Wurth and Engie.
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Photos
iStock / © Danil Melekhin
