Germany: Hearing on the law for accelerated hydrogen ramp-up +++ USA: Plug has 95 MW of electrolysis capacity in operation or in the pipeline +++ USA: Hyzon withdraws from Europe and Australia +++ Mexico: Aslan Energy plans to buy 35.000 hectares of land for hydrogen production +++ Canada: UL Solutions acquires Testnet Engineering GmbH +++ France: Green hydrogen for industrial combustion processes +++ UK: Lloyd's assesses the feasibility of a green hydrogen infrastructure project +++ Canada: Walmart Canada uses fuel cell trucks +++ Norway: Scatec supplies ammonia to Yara +++ DISCOUNT promotion: Your advertisement on the PtX portal
A selection of PtX topics summarized at the end of the week
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The Committee on Climate Protection and Energy is planning a hearing on the law for accelerated hydrogen ramp-up for September 25. © German Bundestag / Stella von Saldern
(Germany) The Committee on Climate Protection and Energy in the Bundestag will hold a public hearing. The topic is the draft law submitted by the Federal Government entitled "Act to Accelerate the Availability of Hydrogen and to Amend Other Legal Frameworks for the Hydrogen Ramp-Up and to Amend Other Energy Law Provisions" ( 20/11899 ). The hearing is scheduled for September 25, 2024, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. It has been agreed to invite eleven experts. The aim of the draft law is to facilitate further planning, approval, and tendering procedures for the production, storage, and import of hydrogen. The Federal Government intends to significantly accelerate the market ramp-up of hydrogen by 2030. New legal frameworks are intended to enable the rapid development and expansion of production and supply capacities.
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(USA) The US company Plug Power Inc. announced new figures on the installation and commissioning of electrolyzers. According to the company, there are now systems with a capacity of 95 megawatts (MW) in operation or in the pipeline. The sites stretch across North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, New Zealand and India. Since installation, more than 1.500 tons of hydrogen have been produced. Plug is on schedule to commission 37 additional units, which is expected to increase capacity by 40 tons of hydrogen per day in the second half of this year.
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Fuel cell bus in Australia: Hyzon wants to stop business in Europe and Australia. © Hyzon
(USA) Hyzon, a US-based manufacturer and supplier of fuel cell systems, plans to cease operations in the Netherlands and Australia. The company cites "difficult market conditions" in those countries as the reason. Hyzon states that government support has diminished compared to "North American efforts to accelerate the adoption of fuel cell technology." However, the company intends to potentially return to the European and Australian markets as a fuel cell system supplier to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Hyzon anticipates costs of $17 million in connection with the planned exit activities, in addition to write-downs of approximately $7 million, employee-related costs of around $3 million, and other exit-related expenses totaling approximately $7 million. Hyzon has thus far focused on the application of its hydrogen technology in heavy-duty commercial vehicles in North America, Europe, and Australia/New Zealand. The company reaffirmed its intention to "better position" its 200-kilowatt fuel cells for North American Class 8 truck FCEV platforms and garbage trucks. Both will be introduced in trial programs in the United States and Canada starting this summer. Furthermore, the company is optimizing its operations in China.
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ASLAN plans to produce hydrogen and ammonia in Mexico. © AEC
(Mexico) Aslan Energy Capital has announced plans to acquire 35.000 hectares of land in a coastal area of the Mexican state of Sonora. This will form the basis for the ANEM (Aslan Net-zero Energy Mexico) project, a solar-powered production facility for green hydrogen and green ammonia. Commercial operations are scheduled to begin in 2028. The project will be developed over a ten-year period in four phases, with Phase 1 aiming to produce nearly 600.000 tons of green ammonia per year. Capacity will double by 2030 during Phase 2. ANEM will primarily serve the domestic Mexican market, with surpluses being shipped to the United States by rail. The potential for exports to Japan and other markets is also being assessed. Front-end engineering design is expected to commence in the third quarter of 2024, coinciding with the first shipment of green ammonia. Aslan Energy Capital, a subsidiary of LNG Alliance Pte Ltd, Singapore, focuses on the value chain of green hydrogen and ammonia as well as sustainable aviation fuel as a project developer and operator.
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UL Solutions takes over the Testnet group. The picture shows the Testnet laboratory in Canada. © Testnet Canada Inc.
(Canada) UL Solutions Inc. has acquired Munich-based Testnet Engineering GmbH. Founded in 2009, Testnet provides testing services for various hydrogen storage systems, refueling stations and their components, as well as storage tanks. Its customer base includes the automotive sector and hydrogen system suppliers. In March 2020, Testnet acquired the hydrogen testing laboratory of the CSA Group in Langley, near Vancouver. Testnet Canada Inc. specializes in cylinder testing. UL Solutions offers testing, inspection, and certification services, along with software products and consulting services. Details of the acquisition were not disclosed.
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Fives and Lhyfe want to offer companies hydrogen engines for industrial processes. The photo shows both teams at the Lhyfe site in Bessières (Occitanie) © Fives
(France) The two French companies Lhyfe and Fives aim to develop a "fully decarbonized offering from hydrogen production to combustion" for industry. Lhyfe will produce and supply green hydrogen, while Fives will offer "optimized and safe solutions for use in industrial combustion processes." The companies will primarily focus on the metal, glass, and cement industries, as well as selected industrial heating processes and applications in Europe and North America. For example, an aluminum furnace with a natural gas-based production of 120 tons per day would reduce its annual CO2 emissions by more than 4.000 tons through the use of hydrogen. Fives offers hydrogen-compatible burners for all industries under the ITAS, North American, and Pillard brands.
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Nick Brown, LR CEO and Shuo Chen, Chairman and Founder of H2Terminals © Loyd's Register (Screenshot)
(UK) Lloyd's Register has partnered with H2Terminals Limited, Hidrogen, and D3IM to investigate the feasibility of a green hydrogen infrastructure project in the UK. The consortium will assess the production and transport of hydrogen for floating offshore facilities, as well as regulatory requirements and risk assessments for generating green electricity. The plans include developing a wind, wave, and solar power plant located 100 kilometers off the coast of the Thames Estuary. The green hydrogen produced on the floating platform would be liquefied and transported by ship to a terminal near London, where it would be used on barges to generate electricity. The project is part of the privately led Thames Estuary Growth Board action plan, which aims to attract investment to the Thames Estuary region.
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Walmart Canada will soon use a fuel cell truck from Nikola. © CNW Group/Wal-Mart Canada Corp.
(Canada) Retail giant Walmart Canada will begin using a fuel cell-powered semi-truck from Nikola Corp. in Mississauga, Ontario. The truck has a range of approximately 800 kilometers and, according to the manufacturer, can avoid an average of 97 tons of CO2 emissions per year. The vehicle was procured by ITD Industries Inc., based in Etobicoke, Ontario, and will be used for longer-haul routes in Ontario. Walmart Canada plans to power 100 percent of its fleet with alternative energy, said Senior Director Michael Buna. A timeframe for achieving this goal was not specified. Walmart Canada operates a chain of more than 400 stores nationwide.
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The EIB provides long-term financing for Scatec's hydrogen/ammonia project in Egypt. © Scatec ASA
(Norway) Fertilizer manufacturer Yara Clean Ammoniak has signed an agreement with Norwegian renewable energy project developer Scatec ASA, as well as ECHEM and MOPCO, for the supply of ammonia. According to the agreement, Scatec will install renewable energy power plants with a capacity of 480 megawatts in Egypt. Together with Egyptian Petrochemicals Holding Company (ECHEM) and Misr Fertilizers Production Company (MOPCO), electrolysis plants with a capacity of 240 megawatts will be built, powered by green electricity. The hydrogen produced in this way will be used for ammonia production at MOPCO's existing plant in Damietta, Egypt. The production capacity is 150.000 tons per year, and Yara will be the customer. Yara Clean Ammonia claims to operate "the largest global ammonia network" with 15 ships and, through its parent company, has access to 18 ammonia terminals worldwide and several ammonia production and consumption sites.
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Photos
iStock / © Danil Melekhin
