INPEX CORPORATION (INPEX), Japan’s largest oil and gas exploration and production company, and Green Hydrogen International (GHI), a green hydrogen developer, have signed a Joint Study Agreement to advance GHI’s flagship Hydrogen City production hub in South Texas.
The project aims to produce green hydrogen and green ammonia to meet growing Asian and global market demand, according to a news release.
GHI’s low-cost model of producing green hydrogen utilizing salt cavern storage and behind-the-meter renewable power aims to solve the cost and scale challenges of green hydrogen production, according to the release. With INPEX’s expertise in developing large scale energy projects around the world and extensive experience marketing LNG to international customers, the companies’ partnership aims to develop one of the world’s largest production and export hubs with the most cost-competitive green hydrogen in the world.
The company is aiming to scale the project to as much as 60 GW, producing over 3 billion kilograms of green hydrogen per year, according to its website.
“GHI is honored to be partnering with INPEX CORPORATION on our Hydrogen City project. Their unpaparelled expertise in large energy project development combined with a world-class marketing organization will provide enormous advantages to the Hydrogen City project and our goal of producing the world’s lowest-cost green hydrogen by 2029,” says Brian Maxwell, CEO of GHI.
INPEX Representative Director, President & CEO Takayuki Ueda said, “As we work towards the fulfillment of INPEX Vision@2022, I am excited to announce this green hydrogen project in Texas, which exemplifies our unwavering commitment to environmental leadership and innovation. This project perfectly aligns with our Vision@2022, as we strive to reshape the energy landscape by producing green hydrogen and accelerating the transition to a sustainable, carbon-neutral world. INPEX’s dedication to a brighter, greener future remains steadfast, and this endeavor in Texas marks a pivotal step in our vision for a more sustainable tomorrow.”
Phase 1 of the Hydrogen City project is planned to produce 280,000 tons per year of green hydrogen, which will be used to produce 1 million tons per year of green ammonia for export. Additional volumes of green hydrogen will be available for local customers. The project will be powered by 3.75 GW of behind-the-meter renewable energy and utilize salt storage to balance out the daily and seasonal intermittency of renewable energy. Construction is planned to start in 2026 with commercial operation planned for 2029. The partners plan to expand the project with additional phases as customer demand grows.
