Energy Transition in Motion (Week of Aug. 30, 2024)

Industrial gas company Linde plans to invest more than $2 billion to build, own and operate a hydrogen and atmospheric gases facility in Canada after securing a long-term supply agreement with Dow.

Linde this week said it will supply clean hydrogen for Dow’s Fort Saskatchewan Path2Zero Project in Alberta, Canada, and capture CO2 emissions of more than 2 million metric tons per year (mtpy) for sequestration. The new complex is expected to become Canada’s largest clean hydrogen production facility when it is complete in 2028, Linde said in an Aug. 27 news release.

“This landmark project aligns with our strategy of developing high-quality projects with secured off-take,” said Linde CEO Sanjiv Lamba. “Our technology, experience and execution are enabling the transition to a cleaner economy.”

Linde said it will use autothermal reforming with its proprietary HISORP carbon capture technology to produce clean hydrogen and recover hydrogen contained in off-gases from Dow’s ethylene cracker.

Dow’s project includes a hydrogen-fueled ethylene cracker; expanded polyethylene production; power and steam cogeneration, offsite carbon sequestration; site infrastructure upgrades, including roads, rail and utilities; and control centers with office, storage and maintenance facilities, the chemicals company said.

“Our business strategy to decarbonize our assets and drive growth while enabling higher shareholder returns is central to Dow’s long-term success,” said Dow CEO Jim Fitterling. “Having support from collaborators and partners across the value chain is essential.”

The project will triple Dow’s ethylene and polyethylene capacity at the site, while helping to lower carbon emissions.

During the project’s first phase, Linde said it will supply clean hydrogen, nitrogen and other services to support Dow’s first net-zero emissions integrated ethylene cracker and derivatives site. Linde’s new facility will also supply clean hydrogen to existing and new industrial customers seeking to decarbonize their operations.

The hydrogen production facility marks Linde’s largest single investment in hydrogen, the company said.

Here’s a look at other renewable energy news.

Geothermal

BLM Seeks Public Input on Fervo’s Cape Geothermal Project

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has given the public until Sept. 20 to comment on the draft environmental assessment for Fervo Energy’s Cape Geothermal Power Project.

Located in Beaver County, Utah, the project includes about 23 well pads for drilling and completing geothermal observation, production and injection wells. The company kicked off a drilling campaign at the Cape Station project in September 2023.

Fervo Energy plans to build up to 20 geothermal power plants, associated access roads, a power distribution network, an electrical switchyard, a tie-in transmission line, a geothermal fluid pipeline system and other necessary facilities, according to the BLM. The project spans just over 630 acres, mostly on private lands and lands owned by Utah’s Trust Lands Administration. About 148 acres is on BLM-managed land, the federal agency said.

Project details and the environmental assessment are available for review on the BLM’s website.

RELATED

Meta, Sage Geosystems Enter Geothermal Deal

Hydrogen

ProtonH2 Selects EPC Partner for Project Apollo in Canada

Clean tech company ProtonH2 has advanced its Project Apollo hydrogen production project in Canada, having selected Propak Systems Ltd. as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) partner.

The hydrogen-focused technology company said it plans to produce 500 tons of low-carbon intensity hydrogen per day for less than $1/kg in Saskatchewan’s Kerrobert area. The project is entering the detailed design and execution phases, Proton H2 said Aug. 28.

“Selecting Propak as our EPC partner and completing the pre-FEED phase are critical steps forward for Project Apollo,” said ProtonH2 CEO Paul Sandhu. “This project is not just about producing hydrogen; it’s about setting new standards for cost efficiency and sustainability in the energy sector.”

Developers plan to begin construction in fourth-quarter 2024, targeting first hydrogen deliveries in first-half 2025.

RW Energy, Nu:ionic Team Up for Hydrogen, Carbon Capture

Energy park developer RW Energy and Nu:ionic Technologies plan to work together to accelerate hydrogen production and carbon capture projects in the U.S., targeting Northern California, the Texas Gulf Coast of Texas and Ohio, the companies said Aug. 29.

Oklahoma-based Nu:ionic will supply modular, pre-engineered low-carbon hydrogen production equipment with integrated carbon capture. Texas-based RW Energy will lead and oversee project identification, facility design and business development and provide expertise in sustainable and distributed capacity energy solutions, according to a news release.

The sites will use Nu:ionic’s Teal Hydrogen production equipment with capacities ranging from 1.2 tonnes to 6 tonnes per day, according to a press release. The company’s Nu-X Smart Reformer will also be utilized. Nu:ionic’s equipment produces high purity hydrogen and cryogenic liquid by-product CO2.

“The use of Nu:ionic’s technology enables RW Energy to integrate renewable resources into methane-based hydrogen production and offers a cost-effective and near-term pathway to low carbon energy solutions,” RW Energy CEO Darin Knicely said.

RW Energy estimates the projects will come online in fourth-quarter 2025.

TES, ZEG Power Partner to Explore Hydrogen Production in Germany

Tree Energy Solutions (TES) on Aug. 30 said it will explore opportunities to produce green hydrogen in Germany with SLB-backed ZEG Power.

Norway-based ZEG develops clean hydrogen production technology with integrated carbon capture.

TES awarded ZEG a feasibility study to assess the viability of implementing ZEG’s technology and to evaluate the technical, economic and environmental aspects of deploying an initial demonstration plant, TES said in a news release. The feasibility study is scheduled to begin in September. Results are expected within six months.

The work could pave the way to potential large-scale deployment of the technology.

“This initiative aligns with TES’ aim to democratize access to reliable and affordable green energy through existing infrastructure to end-customers,” said Jens Schmidt, CTO at TES. “The partnership with ZEG marks the beginning of a collaborative effort to advance decentralized green hydrogen production from e-NG while capturing the CO2.”

Solar

Power Sustainable Acquires Stake in EDF Renewables’ Solar Project

Power Sustainable’s renewable energy infrastructure investment group has acquired a 50% stake in the Desert Quartzite Solar+Storage project being built in California, operator EDF Renewables said Aug. 28.

The final phase of the investment, which was executed with PS’ integrated developer and asset manager Potentia Renewables, is expected to close when the project is completed and commercial operations begin.

Located in Riverside, California, Desert Quartzite will have 300 megawatts (MW) of solar generation along with a 150 MW, four-hour battery energy storage system, EDF said. Electricity generated at the site will be delivered to communities in Los Angeles and Ventura counties as part of a 20-year power purchase agreement with community choice aggregator Clean Power Alliance.

The project is expected to start operations in 2024.

Solar Panel Maker Meyer Burger Halts US Plant, Delays Results

Shares in Swiss solar panel maker Meyer Burger plunged more than 50% on Aug. 26 after the company halted plans for a plant in Colorado, further delayed its financial results and said it was drawing up a restructuring plan.

Meyer Burger had earlier this month already postponed publication of its 2024 half-year results until Sept. 16 as it worked to obtain additional financing and a strategic partner. On Aug. 26, it said it would delay its results publication until Sept. 30 or later.

“Meyer Burger Technology AG announced today that the planned construction of a solar cell production facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA, is no longer financially viable for the company due to recent developments and that the project will therefore be discontinued,” the company said in a statement.

The company said its board of directors had asked management to draw up a “comprehensive restructuring and cost-cutting programme” and that board member Mark Kerekes was stepping down.

Meyer Burger has previously said it has suffered from market distortion caused by production overcapacity in China and trade restrictions imposed by India and the U.S.

In March, the company said it would close a plant in Freiberg, Germany.

Following the Colorado decision, the company will focus on its module production plant in Goodyear, Arizona. However, expansion of nominal module production capacity at the Goodyear plant by an additional 0.7 gigawatts (GW) has been suspended for now, it said.

Debt financing previously sought via monetization of 45X tax credits will be pursued on a reduced scale, it added. The company’s board now expects the firm’s financing requirements will be significantly lower and that the financing gap remaining after its April 2024 capital hike will be reduced. The medium-term EBITDA target and the company's debt ratio are also expected to be significantly lower than previously expected, it said.

The company’s cell production site in the eastern German municipality of Thalheim will remain fully operational and—contrary to previous plans—will continue to form the backbone of Meyer Burger’s solar cell supply, it said.

Wind

US Schedules Wind Lease Offshore Oregon

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will have its first ever wind lease sale offshore Oregon in October, the federal agency said Aug. 29.

The lease sale, scheduled for Oct. 15, will auction two areas that BOEM said could generate more than 3.1 GW of renewable energy if fully developed. That would be enough to power about 1 million homes.

The U.S. has ambitions to deploy 30 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030 and 15 GW of floating wind by 2035.

“Today’s announcement reflects the tireless work of so many people throughout Oregon and Pacific Northwest,” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. “By working together, we will unlock a future where clean energy and shared prosperity go hand in hand, combating climate change while creating opportunities for all.”

The two areas are the 61,203-acre P-OCS 0566 (Coos Bay) and the 133,792-acre P-OCS 0567. BOEM plans to publish a final sale notice with the Federal Register on Sept. 3.

CIP Buffalo Plains Wind Farm Delivers First Power to Alberta Grid

Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) on Aug. 29 said its Buffalo Plains onshore wind project in Alberta, Canada, has delivered first power to the grid.

When the 495-MW project is fully operational, it will consist of 83 turbines to provide enough energy for about 240,000 households in Alberta. The project is the largest onshore wind project being developed in Canada, the company said.

So far, more than one-third of the turbines are installed. The remaining installation work is expected to be complete in the fourth-quarter of 2024, followed by full grid connection.

“The successful delivery of first power demonstrates CIP’s unique ability to execute on large and complex infrastructure projects that will provide local jobs and clean, renewable wind energy for many years to come,” said Tim Evans, partner and head of North America at CIP.

CIP is developing the project with Siemens Gamesa and Borea Construction. The wind farm is located on privately-owned farmland near Lomond, Alberta.

RELATED

TotalEnergies Launches Wind Project to Power North Sea Platform

Reuters contributed to this report.