The Hydrogen Stream: EU, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay to partner on hydrogen

The European Commission and the European Investment Bank have agreed to collaborate with Argentina, Chile and Uruguay on hydrogen, while Masdar, Mitsubishi and Inpex have said that they will use green hydrogen to produce e-methane and polypropylene.

Image: European Union 2023

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The European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB) have agreed to cooperate on energy, including hydrogen, with Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. A similar deal with Brazil could also be announced soon. European Commission Üresident Ursula von der Leyen said that Europe will invest more than €45 billion ($50.6 billion) in Latin America and the Caribbean until 2027 via the Global Gateway program. Europe wants to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency, in addition to using hydrogen and its derivatives in applications such as industrial processes, transport, and energy storage.

Masdar, Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corp. (MCG), and Inpex have agreed to explore production of the “world’s first commercial-scale polypropylene” made from CO2 and green hydrogen in Abu Dhabi. The green hydrogen and CO2 will be converted to e-methanol, which will subsequently be converted to propylene and polypropylene. Polypropylene is used to manufacture everyday items such as bottles, jars, and food packaging. Masdar and Inpex also said that they had signed a collaboration agreement to conduct a joint study on the entire value chain from the production of hydrogen and procurement of CO2 to the manufacture and transport of e-methane. Separately, Masdar and Mubadala Energy have also agreed to explore opportunities relating to decarbonization and energy transition initiative.

Bosch has launched volume production of its fuel-cell power modules in Stuttgart, Germany. “Nikola Corp., based in the United States, will serve as the pilot customer with its Class 8 hydrogen fuel cell electric truck, which is scheduled to enter the North American market in the third quarter of 2023,” said the German company. Bosch operates along the entire hydrogen value chain. By 2030, Bosch said it plans to generate sales of roughly €5 billion from hydrogen technology.

Profas Energy Consult has partnered with Australia's Energy Exemplar to model the needs of the hydrogen value chain. The companies plan to optimize hydrogen and power-to-X projects. Profas Energy Consult said that this is the first time that advanced modeling will be used for the hydrogen market.”In a world first, Profas Energy Consult, who specialize in development support and implementation coaching for green hydrogen projects, will work with Energy Exemplar to build on its market-leading modeling software platform, PLEXOS, and optimize hydrogen and power-to-X projects,” said the Australian company, arguing that this is the first time advanced modeling will be used for the hydrogen market.

Fraunhofer IWU has agreed to work  with other organizations to build try-out areas for hydrogen production and use in South Africa and Namibia. The HyTrA project will ensure a stable power supply for Alu-Cab, a manufacturer of aluminum vehicle bodies for off-road applications in Cape Town. Alu-Cab will use excess energy from PV systems to locally produce and store hydrogen. The HygO project meanwhile, will use the oxygen generated during electrolysis for wastewater treatment and generate electricity. It will be operational at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) from the end of 2023 and will be deployed in a remote area in the Erongo District in mid-2024.

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ITM has won a contract to procure long lead-time materials and components required for manufacturing its MEP30 skids for a 100 MW project in Germany. The UK company stated that our customer aims to make the final investment decision in 2023.

Ohmium has partnered up with Aquastill, a Dutch modular membrane distillation company, to use desalinated seawater as an input in green hydrogen production. “By integrating Aquastill's desalination capabilities with Ohmium's modular green hydrogen electrolyzers, the collaboration will create new decarbonization opportunities for businesses operating in coastal areas,” said the companies. Co-locating PEM electrolyzers with offshore wind farms could be a potential application, enabling the production of green hydrogen at source. 

Ecotricity founder Dale Vince has announced the launch of Ecojet, “the world's first electric airline powered by renewable energy.” Ecojet's fleet will comprise conventional planes retrofitted with hydrogen-electric powertrains. “Once converted, the aircraft will operate with the same power output as before, but with a one-hundred percent reduction in CO2 emissions,” said the company. Ecojet plans to launch two different turboprop planes (a 19-seat version and a 70-seat version) in 2025, one year after the commencement of flights.

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