EU targets tenfold increase in production of hydrogen electrolyzers by 2025

The European Commission launched an initiative June 16 to increase the European Union's green hydrogen electrolzyer manufacturing capacity tenfold by 2025, said SP.

The Electrolyzer Partnership, first announced in May, will bring together manufacturers and component suppliers to ramp up the production of electrolyzers — the technology used to produce renewable-powered hydrogen — to 17.5 GW per year from an estimated 1.75 GW today.

The initiative is linked to the commission's REPowerEU plan — its wide-ranging strategy to end dependence on Russian fossil fuels, which includes an aim to reach 10 million tonnes of annual domestic hydrogen production by 2030, requiring between 90 GW and 100 GW of electrolyzer capacity.

"Hydrogen is an essential part of Europe's future energy sovereignty," Frans Timmermans, executive vice president for the European Green Deal at the commission, said in a statement. "The speed of development of the European hydrogen sector shows that we can decarbonize our economy and secure our independence from Russian fossil fuels."

The Electrolyzer Partnershp was launched at the fourth meeting of the commission's European Clean Hydrogen Alliance, which brings together more than 1,600 organizations to support the deployment of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen.

In announcing the new partnership last month, the commission and 20 industry executives — including from manufacturers Siemens Energy AG, Nel ASA, SunFire GmbH and Cummins Inc. — said the EU is already leading the world on hydrogen technology but the ambition is to transform this into global commercial leadership.

Daniel Fraile, chief policy officer at lobby group Hydrogen Europe, another member of the partnership, described it as "a catalyst for advancing EU industrial leadership and fostering increased cooperation between manufacturers, key material suppliers and policymakers."

"We need to work at a strategic level to ensure that the renewable hydrogen consumed in Europe is done with European technology and that it contributes to a just energy transition creating jobs growth in Europe," Fraile said in a statement. "The Electrolyzer Partnership is the right vehicle to get this done."

The commission noted the availability of affordable raw materials as one challenge to upscaling Europe's production of electrolyzers. In many cases, the green hydrogen sector has to compete for materials with other industries, as the price of commodities has skyrocketed in recent months. The commission said it would work to partner with countries outside the EU and its economic zones on raw material supplies for electrolyzers.

"At the moment, we have too much dependence on China, South Africa ... for some of those components," Martin Lambert, senior research fellow and head of hydrogen research at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, said June 16 at the Financial Times' Hydrogen Summit in London. Russia's war in Ukraine. The EU's response via sanctions on Russia shows that is not wise, Lambert said.

Electrolyzer manufacturers also see regulatory and financial bottlenecks that are preventing them from rapidly increasing their production capacity, the commission said. Legislation proposed by the EU at the end of May, laying out draft rules on what makes hydrogen green, aims to support the ramp-up of the renewable hydrogen market. However, it may stop some planned projects in their tracks because of what some players deem to be its strict requirements.

"We need the see [final investment decisions] start to flow [and] money start being made," Jon Andre Lokke, CEO of Norwegian electrolyzer-maker Nel, said at the Financial Times event. "We cannot be more ready. Now, it's basically up to the commission."

As per MRC, Air Liquide and Siemens Energy have agreed to collaborate on the development of industrial-scale hydrogen projects and to lay the groundwork for mass manufacturing of electrolyzers, mainly in Germany and France. The companies have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to combine their expertise in proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis technology and intend to focus on the co-creation of large-scale hydrogen projects in collaboration with customers
mrchub.com

Alfa Laval has signed an agreement to acquire Scanjet, a leading supplier of marine tank cleaning equipment, said the company.

The deal adds Scanjet’s intelligent tank management solutions to Alfa Laval’s already broad tanker offering, creating a complete portfolio for cargo tank needs. Scanjet is today’s leader in tank cleaning and possesses more than 50 years of experience. Through customer-driven product development, the company has expanded from fixed and portable tank cleaning equipment into intelligent tank management. Scanjet’s solutions and organization will become part of Alfa Laval per an agreement signed on 16 June 2022.

"Scanjet is a tank cleaning innovator with exciting developments in the pipeline,” says Alfa Laval’s Peter Nielsen, President of Marine Separation & Heat Transfer, whose business unit will receive the acquisition. “For tanker owners and many other marine customers, there will be valuable synergies when Scanjet solutions enter the Alfa Laval portfolio."

"Alfa Laval is the ideal place for Scanjet’s journey to continue,” says Magnus Wallin, CEO of Scanjet. “Our companies have leading marine offerings that complement and strengthen each other. Above all, we share the ambition to exceed customer needs."

Scanjet’s technology will complete a portfolio for every cargo tank need, joining Framo submersible cargo pumps, Smit inert gas systems and other Alfa Laval solutions. In addition to tank cleaning equipment, Scanjet’s offering comprises the unique ITAMA system for intelligent tank management. The ITAMA system integrates key aspects of tank maintenance, from tank cleaning to real-time monitoring of tank level, temperature and pressure.

"Besides safeguarding the cargo and vessel, optimized tank management contributes to sustainable shipping,” says Nielsen. “For example, it reduces the water and energy consumption connected with tank cleaning. By gathering all tank-related solutions within the Alfa Laval portfolio, we will be able to support efficiency in every angle of cargo handling."

Like Alfa Laval, Scanjet is headquartered in Sweden and has a strong worldwide presence. The company has manufacturing in Sweden, Poland and Indonesia, with additional assembly sites in Norway and the UK. These facilities will be incorporated into Alfa Laval’s existing operations, along with Scanjet’s over 150 technical, application and service experts.

"We look forward to becoming part of an even larger team,” says Magnus Wallin. “Scanjet customers have long valued our ongoing support, and our capabilities will be amplified by Alfa Laval’s own global organization. Together, we will have a strong offering for tanker owners and new opportunities to serve them well over time."

As per MRC, Alfa Laval, a leading global provider of specialized products and engineering solutions based on its key technologies of heat transfer, separation and fluid handling, has strengthened its operations in the United States with three new facilities, expanding its commitment to serving its customers in the United States.

As MRC wrote before, in 2017, Alfa Laval won an order to supply compact heat exchangers to a refinery in China. The order has a value of approximately USD10.6 MM. It was booked late June in the Gasketed Plate Heat Exchangers unit of the Energy Division, with deliveries scheduled for 2018.

Alfa Laval is a world leader in heat transfer, centrifugal separation and fluid handling, and is active in the areas of Energy, Marine, and Food & Water, offering its expertise, products, and service to a wide range of industries in some 100 countries. The company is committed to optimizing processes, creating responsible growth, and driving progress to support customers in achieving their business goals and sustainability targets.
mrchub.com

SIBUR has signed a deal with recycler Russian Environmental Operator (REO) for the supply of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) bottles and packaging as feedstock for production of food-grade rPET granules at Polief facility in Bashkortostan, Russia, said the company.

Thanks to the supply of electronic equipment to the production of SIBUR, it is planned to send up to 600 million plastic bottles for processing annually.

To fulfill its obligations under the agreement, REO is implementing an investment project for the production of PET flakes from used food packaging. It is planned that PPC will purchase bottles at sorting, send them for processing and sell the resulting PET flex to SIBUR. The enterprise where the bottles will be processed is located in the Chelyabinsk region.

Transparent and blue flakes will be supplied to SIBUR's Bashkir enterprise POLIEF for the production of food-grade rPET granules under the Vivilen brand with a recycled content of up to 25%. This contract provides a third of the company's need for PET flex after reaching the design capacity.

As per MRC, SIBUR plans to revise its strategy for developing the Amur Gas Chemical Complex (AGCC) with Sinopec.
The company reported that a decision on the matter would be made soon. Sources told Reuters in March that the state-run Sinopec Group had suspended talks on a major petrochemical investment and a gas marketing venture in Russia.

As per MRC, SIBUR has completed commissioning in Tobolsk at a new maleic anhydride (MAN) production facility located on the territory of Zapsibneftekhim. The production will reach its design capacity before the end of the year. The unit has a design capacity of 45,000 tons/year and is expected to ramp up through the year and is expected to cover all domestic MA demand in the country this year, with work ongoing to ensure steady operation and build out a supply chain as production ramps up.

SIBUR Holding is the leader of the petrochemical industry in Russia and one of the world's largest companies in the sector with more than 23,000 employees. Over the past 10 years, SIBUR has implemented a number of large-scale investment projects worth about 1 trillion rubles.
mrchub.com

Wood, the global consulting and engineering company, announced the appointment of Azad Hessamodini as Executive President of its Consulting business and the latest member of the firm’s executive leadership team, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

In this role, Mr Hessamodini will assume executive responsibility for Wood’s global specialist consultancy business encompassing almost 4000 professionals with industry-leading expertise in areas including decarbonization, hydrogen, Carbon Capture & Storage, renewables advisory, asset optimization and digital solutions.

The multi-sector business unit is focused on providing technical consulting during the planning, design, building, operation and optimization of assets, facilities and infrastructure across a range of end markets including energy, industrial, power, mining and life sciences.

Ken Gilmartin, Chief Operating Officer at Wood, said: “Azad is a dynamic and proven leader at Wood with strong client relationships and an in-depth knowledge of our business and the future direction of the company. Under his leadership, the many talented teams in our Consulting business will continue to spearhead our strategic growth in energy security, energy transition and digital solutions."

Hessamodini has more than 25 years’ international experience in the construction, energy, mining, consulting and private equity sectors. He joined Wood in 2011 and initially led the company’s subsea field developments, deep water engineering and asset integrity projects in Asia Pacific.

More recently, he served as President of Growth and Development for Consulting, where he was responsible for the development and implementation of growth strategies and global business planning.

He comments: “I am delighted to lead Wood’s Consulting business as we enter a new strategic cycle. Our focus will be on finding new opportunities to showcase our deep domain knowledge, breadth of expertise and cross-sector innovation.

As per MRC, Wood, the global consulting and engineering company, has entered into a 10-year global master services agreement for engineering and project related services with Chevron. The agreement can be used by all of Chevron’s business units and covers both offshore and onshore assets within the upstream, midstream and downstream markets.
mrchub.com

A fire killed one person at a Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Co (600688.SS) plant in Shanghai on Saturday, an accident that will not significantly affect the market, said Reuters.

The fire occurred in the ethylene glycol plant area of Sinopec's petrochemical complex at approximately 4 a.m. in the city's Jinshan district, the company said on its official Weibo account.

Rescue teams from Jinshan and Fengxian districts, and the city's chemical industrial park, were dispatched to the scene, according to Shanghai's fire department. Rescue operations are underway, it added.

As of approximately 9 a.m. local time, the company said the fire had been brought "under control."

China has seen a spate of industrial accidents in recent years that have left scores dead, raising concerns about public safety. In 2015, at least 173 people died after a series of explosions at a chemical warehouse in the northern port city of Tianjin.

Last October, at least three people were killed and more than 30 injured in a powerful explosion at a restaurant in the northeastern city of Shenyang. The gas explosion took place in a mixed-use residential and commercial building.

We remind, Sinopec Maoming Petrochemical, a subsidiary of Sinopec, one of the world's largest energy and chemical companies, has stopped HDPE and LDL production in Maoming, China, due to a fire. So, on 8 June, the company shut the production of LDPE on line No. 2 with a capacity of 280,000 tonnes and HDPE with a capacity of 400,000 tonnes per year for an unknown time.
mrchub.com