Bad Lauchstädt: Ontras adds hydrogen to the pipeline network +++ Canada: First Hydrogen wants to develop high-performance batteries for fuel cell vehicles +++ Etzel: Two caverns converted for hydrogen storage +++ Berlin: Federal Council for accelerated approval for hydrogen production +++ Neumünster: Hydrogen filling station opened for trucks +++ Denmark: Maersk deploys first methanol-capable ship in Asia-Europe traffic +++ Mexico: Development of a large-scale methanol project +++ Spain: Verbund and Masdar are examining the production of green hydrogen in Spain
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A selection of PtX topics summarized at the end of the week
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First Hydrogen wants to increase the performance of battery systems for FVEVs. © First Hydrogen
Canadian-British company First Hydrogen Corp., together with EV Technologies Inc. (EVT), plans to develop high-performance batteries for fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). Details regarding technical requirements and investment will be outlined in an agreement yet to be finalized. First Hydrogen will reportedly own all intellectual property developed within the partnership, which will be used exclusively for the production of the energy storage systems. According to the engineering team and its automotive partners, the new battery system is expected to improve the efficiency and performance of existing batteries. First Hydrogen's hydrogen-powered vehicles have already completed more than 10.000 kilometers in road trials with UK fleet owners and operators, Rivus, and the energy provider SSE plc., achieving a range of 630 kilometers. First Hydrogen developed the vehicles in collaboration with AVL Powertrain and Ballard Power Systems Inc. The company plans to build a 35-megawatt plant for the production of green hydrogen as well as a vehicle assembly plant in Shawinigan (Quebec).
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Contract signing (from left): Björn Güth (Ontras), Ralph Bahke (Ontras), Sebastian Pflüger (EMG, VNG H&V), Cornelia Müller Pagel (VNG AG), Bastian Untiet (Uniper). © Tom Schulze
The long-distance gas network operator Ontras Gastransport GmbH has signed a contract with Elektrolyse Mitteldeutschland GmbH for the transport of green hydrogen from Bad Lauchstädt via the converted gas pipeline to the Total Energies refinery in Leuna. Elektrolyse Mitteldeutschland GmbH, a joint venture between Uniper SE and VNG Handel & Vertrieb GmbH, will be the future operator of the 30-megawatt electrolyzer in the Bad Lauchstädt energy park. "For the upcoming delivery of green hydrogen to the Total Energies refinery in Leuna, we have successfully linked production and offtake with the necessary transport capacity in a contractual agreement," says Bastian Untiet, Managing Director of Elektrolyse Mitteldeutschland GmbH. Deliveries will begin in 2025. The wind farm, which will supply the green electricity for hydrogen production, is scheduled for completion by spring 2024.
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Storag Etzel has completed work on converting two caverns in Etzel for hydrogen storage. © Storag Etzel GmbH
Following the completion of the first leak test with hydrogen in spring 2023 to assess the condition of the pilot caverns, Storag Etzel GmbH has now finished converting two caverns in Etzel for hydrogen storage. The installation of the drilling equipment and the accompanying measurements ("completion") were carried out under the supervision of experts from various disciplines. In the coming weeks, further tests will be conducted to assess the leak tightness of the drilling equipment and the salt formation, including tests using hydrogen up to the maximum permissible pressure. If these tests are successful, the caverns will be filled with up to 80 tons of hydrogen for further investigations starting in the second half of 2024. An above-ground test facility will then enable gas storage operation, including the processes of compression, gas drying and purification, pressure regulation, and quantity and quality measurement. The "H2 Cavern Storage Transition" ("H2CAST Etzel") project aims to demonstrate the feasibility of underground hydrogen storage and prove the suitability of the salt caverns in Etzel for hydrogen storage. Existing large-volume caverns and technical facilities in Etzel will be repurposed for hydrogen storage. The site is expected to be "H2-ready" by 2026. The results will serve as a blueprint for converting caverns for future hydrogen storage in Germany. H2CAST is funded by the state of Lower Saxony and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
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Federal Council sees hydrogen as the energy source of the future. © Federal Council / Frank Bräuer
The Federal Council is advocating for simplified approval procedures for electrolyzers to facilitate hydrogen production. For hydrogen production facilities with a nominal output of up to five megawatts, the requirement for permits under the Federal Immission Control Act should be eliminated. This would make a significant contribution to reducing bureaucracy and create a substantial investment incentive for commercial operators. The resolution, addressed to the Federal Government, was initiated by North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Saxony, and Saarland. The resolution states that accelerated production and increasing use of hydrogen as a chemical feedstock and energy carrier is a key component for the success of the energy and heat transition. Decentralized electrolyzers are particularly important for producing and using hydrogen locally, close to the point of consumption. The Federal Council calls on the Federal Government to advocate for corresponding simplifications in the classification of electrolyzers during the current trilogue negotiations on the EU Industrial Emissions Directive. The Federal Government will now decide when to address the Federal Council's request. There are no fixed deadlines for this.
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Hyperion is putting a hydrogen filling station for trucks into operation in Neumünster. © Hyperion
The first hydrogen refueling station specifically optimized for heavy commercial vehicles has opened in Neumünster. Located on the A7 motorway, the station is designed for semi-trailer trucks and articulated vehicles, with a refueling capacity of 2.000 kilograms per day (two 350-bar and one 700-bar dispensers). "The construction of a hydrogen refueling station of this size represents a technological innovation and also creates essential infrastructure for regional and national road freight transport. This strengthens the region's economic position and also opens up diverse options for private individuals to use green hydrogen as an environmentally friendly fuel for their mobility," said Dirk Schrödter, Head of the State Chancellery of Schleswig-Holstein. Local fleet operators Herbert Voigt, FA Kruse Jun., Edeka Nord, Netto Marken-Discount, and Ernst Krebs had already committed to the project during the planning phase. The investors are EDF Deutschland and Hansewerk AG. The H2-HubNMS project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport with a total of 4,9 million euros as part of the National Innovation Programme for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology.
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Hyundai Heavy Industries is building methanol-capable container ships for the Danish shipping company Maersk. © Maersk
Danish shipping company AP Moller-Maersk will commission the first of its new methanol-powered vessels in February. It will operate on the AE7 route between Asia and Europe, calling at the ports of Shanghai, Tanjung Pelepas, Colombo, Hamburg, and Ningbo (China). Built by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in South Korea, the ship has a capacity of 16.000 containers (twenty-foot equivalent units, TEU) and is equipped with a dual-fuel engine that can run on methanol, biodiesel, and conventional bunker fuel. The christening will take place at the shipyard before its first deployment at the end of January 2024. The two subsequent sister ships will enter service in the first half of 2024, with christenings in Yokohama (Japan) and Los Angeles (USA). Maersk expects delivery of four more sister ships in the second half of 2024. Maersk had secured sufficient green methanol for the maiden voyage. The company has ordered a total of 24 dual-fuel vessels with cargo capacities of 16.000 TEU (twelve ships), 17.000 TEU (seven ships), and 9.000 TEU (six ships). Furthermore, the company has concluded agreements worldwide for the production and supply of methanol. The AE7 route connects Asia and Europe via the Suez Canal. Ports along the route include Ningbo, Shanghai, Nansha, Yantian (all in China), Tanjung Pelepas (Malaysia), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Port Tangiers (Morocco), Felixstowe (UK), Hamburg (Germany), Antwerp (Belgium), London Gateway (UK), Le Havre (France), Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Abu Dhabi (UAE), and Jebel Ali (UAE).
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US-based methanol and hydrogen project developer Transition Industries LLC has signed a Joint Project Development Agreement (JPDA) with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, to jointly develop a methanol production plant with a capacity of 6.145 tons per day. The plant is located near Topolobampo in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. Annual capacity is projected at approximately 300.000 tons of green methanol from captured carbon and green hydrogen, and 1,8 million tons of blue methanol from carbon capture and storage (CCS) natural gas. The IFC will cover a portion of the project development costs and provide expertise. In return, the IFC has the right to invest a proportionate share in the project's equity. Transition Industries LLC has worked with local communities and stakeholders for over four years to address their needs and concerns. For example, municipal wastewater will be treated and used to avoid competition with local freshwater demand. Furthermore, no water will be drawn from or discharged into the nearby bay in order to protect the local ecosystem. The investment decision for the project, named "Pacifico Mexinol," is expected in 2024, with commercial operation scheduled to begin at the end of 2027.
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Verbund and Masdar are examining the production of green hydrogen in Spain. © Masdar
Verbund Green Hydrogen GmbH, part of the Austrian energy supplier Verbund, and the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC (Masdar) are jointly examining the feasibility of a large-scale electrolysis plant in central Spain. The green hydrogen could be used to decarbonize "hard-to-abate" sectors in Spain and Central Europe, such as steel production, fertilizers, chemicals, heavy transport, and aviation. The Castilla-La Mancha region is ideally suited for hydrogen production due to the high availability of renewable energy. Masdar plans to build a gigawatt-scale photovoltaic power plant there. The agreement reaffirms a previous agreement between the two companies to explore the potential of green hydrogen projects to meet European demand. Spain currently consumes around 500.000 tons of "grey" hydrogen annually, primarily produced from conventional fuels, which could be gradually replaced by green hydrogen. Austria is estimated to require around 600.000 tons of clean hydrogen annually until 2035.
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Photos
iStock / © Danil Melekhin
