Innovation, Project news

Heliogen planning H2 plant on public land in Arizona

Heliogen intends to develop a green hydrogen facility on leased land in the Brenda Solar Energy Zone (SEZ) in Arizona.

February 8, 2022

Heliogen intends to develop a green hydrogen facility on leased land in the Brenda Solar Energy Zone (SEZ) in Arizona, according to a press release.

The US Bureau of Land Management awarded Heliogen, a provider of AI-enabled concentrated solar energy, the exclusive right to lease the land. The company plans a project capable of producing approximately 20,000 metric tonnes of hydrogen per year.

The Brenda SEZ is situated on 3,343 acres of land in La Paz County, Arizona on the California border. The site has direct access to Interstate 10 for distribution of hydrogen to nearby natural gas pipelines for blending and transport, as well as to the Phoenix metropolitan area and the Port of Los Angeles for domestic and international shipping.

“The Brenda SEZ is an ideal location for commercial-scale green hydrogen production due to the ample local water supply and its close proximity to potential offtake partners and key distribution channels,” Bill Gross, CEO of Heliogen, said in the release.

Heliogen and Bloom Energy successfully generated green hydrogen by integrating the companies’ technologies – Heliogen’s concentrated solar energy system and Bloom Energy’s Electrolyzer. The successful hydrogen production demonstration in Lancaster, California, completed in November 2021, showcased the companies’ complementary green power and hydrogen production technologies.

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M&A, Raising capital

Downstream hydrogen firm adds Chevron to investor group

Hydrogen distribution and fueling business OneH2 has closed an investment round led by Chevron and existing investors Trafigura and The Papé Group.

Hydrogen distribution and fueling business OneH2 has closed its latest funding round with investments led by Chevron U.S.A. Inc. and current investors Trafigura and The Papé Group, according to a news release.

Terms of the transactions were not disclosed.

Funds from the round will be used to help accelerate the development and deployment of mid-scale hydrogen generators and fuel distribution solutions, which will enable OneH2 and its channel partners provide lower carbon solutions to its customers.

“We welcome Chevron’s investment and eagerly anticipate collaborating with one of the world’s largest vertically integrated energy companies,” said Paul Dawson, OneH2’s president and CEO. “The OneH2 team deeply appreciates the steadfast support from our existing investors as we continue to invest in hydrogen infrastructure across the United States. Each of our investors will play a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of OneH2 and contributing to the advancement of the broader hydrogen industry.”

Chevron’s decision to lead the round demonstrates its ongoing commitment to exploring diverse energy sources and technologies. By investing in OneH2, Chevron aims to play a key role in driving hydrogen as a viable, pragmatic and economical energy source.

“At Chevron, we believe affordable, reliable and ever-cleaner energy is essential to enabling human progress, and we believe the use of lower carbon intensity hydrogen as a fuel source can help reduce emissions,” said Nuray Elci, Chevron’s general manager of Renewables. “We are excited to work with the team at OneH2 and other partners to help build the fueling infrastructure for hydrogen vehicles, moving this technology forward.”

Additional investment by Trafigura and The Papé Group represent their continued confidence in OneH2’s strategic direction and their commitment to bringing practical, hydrogen fueling technology to the market.

“This is our third equity investment in OneH2, showing our support for the progress that they’re making and scalability of their business, we are encouraged about the growth inflection point OneH2 is reaching and what it means for hydrogen adoption in the US,” said Julien Rolland, Head of Renewables and Strategic Investments for Trafigura.

Jordan Papé, president and CEO of The Papé Group, added, “Papé provides solutions that maximize our customers’ uptime while staying abreast of regulatory trends in the lower carbon energy sector. Our investment in OneH2 will allow us to continue to provide solutions for our customers both today and into the future.”

September 8, 2023

Project finance, Project news, Regulatory

HTEC to receive B.C. funding for hydrogen trucking pilot

HTEC will buy, test and demonstrate hydrogen-powered trucks for fleet operators throughout B.C.

HTEC is set to receive $16.5m in funding from British Columbia for a pilot program that uses hydrogen to power commercial trucking.

Under the pilot, B.C.-based hydrogen-energy company HTEC will procure six different heavy-duty fuel-cell trucks and complete upgrades to a hydrogen-fuelling station in Tsawwassen and a maintenance facility in Abbotsford.

The B.C. Pilot Hydrogen Truck Project aims to start the use of hydrogen in the commercial transportation sector, according to a news release.

Colin Armstrong, president and CEO of HTEC, said: “Through the Province’s significant investment in zero-emission trucks in B.C., and the simultaneous development of robust infrastructure to enhance their operations, this pilot project symbolizes a remarkable leap toward a sustainable future. It marks the first-ever deployment of heavy-duty hydrogen fuel-cell electric trucks for a diverse range of fleet operators in the province, a historic moment for the trucking industry. We applaud the provincial government for their vision and support, and we are delighted to be the wheels on the ground and driving force behind this groundbreaking project.”

HTEC designs, builds and operates hydrogen production facilities, infrastructure and supply.

HTEC will buy, test and demonstrate the hydrogen-powered trucks for fleet operators throughout B.C. The project also brings together Canada’s world-leading hydrogen and vehicle-technology companies. The Province’s funding for the pilot is being administered by the Innovative Clean Energy (ICE) Fund.

November 20, 2023

Innovation, Project news

Japanese MoU for ammonia-fueled bulk carriers

The Japanese firms will each play a role in the design, development and implementation of the ammonia-fueled ships.

A group of Japanese firms has signed an MoU to jointly develop the commercialization of ammonia-fueled ships.

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. together with ITOCHU Corporation, Nihon Shipyard Co., Ltd., MAN Energy Solutions (MAN), Mitsui E&S Co., Ltd., and NS United Kaiun Kaisha, Ltd. have signed the MoU, according to a news release.

The MoU is based on the premise that 200,000 deadweight ton class bulk carriers to be built by Nihon Shipyard will be equipped with ammonia-fueled engines being developed by MAN as a pilot project prior to commercialization, and that the necessary operational data will be collected after the delivery of the ships for the commercialization of ammonia-fueled engines and ammonia-fueled ships in cooperation with other parties involved.

The signing of this MOU is an important milestone for the implementation of ammonia-fueled ships, a new challenge being taken on by the maritime industry, and also an important step in the ongoing implementation of the Integrated Project being facilitated by ITOCHU, the release states.

ITOCHU and its partners will proceed with the development of the ammonia-fueled engines and ships based on this MOU, aiming to begin social implementation once the engines and ships are ready in accordance with the integrated project for the development and social implementation of ammonia fueled ships selected by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) in October 2021.

April 16, 2024

Innovation, Raising capital

Exclusive: Liquid hydrogen at room temp: Tech firm raising money to scale

A provider of liquid organic hydrogen carrier technology is finishing a second seed round with designs on a Series A next year. The technology allows hydrogen to be transported as a liquid at room temperature.

Ayrton Energy, the Calgary-based provider of liquid organic hydrogen carrier storage technology, is preparing to launching a second seed round and plans a $30m Series A next year, CEO Natasha Kostenuk told ReSource.

Ayrton, with 10 employees, allows hydrogen to be transported as a liquid at room temperature, Kostenuk said. The liquid can also be transported in existing infrastructure while mitigating pipeline corrosion.

The company’s target customers are hydrogen producers, utilities and hub-and-spoke logistical servicers.

To date Ayrton has raised $5m from venture capital and a similar amount will come from the next seed round, Kostenuk said. A 30 kg per day pilot project with a gas utility in Canada is underway and Ayrton will look to 10x that next year, she said, with eyes on 3 metric tonnes per day commercialization.

“It scales like electrolyzers,” she said of the technology. “We can get very large, very easily.”

Ayrton is now engaging investors and potential advisors, Kostenuk said. “It would be good to engage with us now.”

April 3, 2024

Project finance, Project news, Raising capital

Exclusive: Pan-Atlantic developer planning e-methanol project in West Texas

A clean fuels developer with projects on both sides of the Atlantic is pursuing an e-methanol project in West Texas with an estimated cost of between $800m – $900m.

Green fuels developer ETFuels is planning an e-methanol project in West Texas.

Following the blueprint of projects in development in Finland and Spain, ETFuels has leased land and the Lone Star State is in the early stages of determining the feasibility of the project, which would require between 300 MW – 500 MW of renewables, Director Patrick Woodson said.

Depending on the ultimate size of the project, it would cost between $800m – $900m and produce 80,000 to 120,000 tons per year of e-methanol on site, he said, which would then be trucked to end markets.

“We like the modularity of projects of that size,” he said, noting “more optionality to bring projects to market.”

Woodson, the former CEO and Chairman of E.ON Climate & Renewables, a renewables developer, said ETFuels would develop the renewables portion of the project internally.

The company is still exploring likely target markets for the e-fuels, but Woodson noted that they perceive robust demand for green methanol from the shipping industry.

“We understand the decarbonization challenges faced by the shipping industry are significant, with question marks over pricing and supply availability at scale, and we are addressing these head-on,” ETFuels CEO Lara Naqushbandi said in a news release last year.

ETFuels attracted financial backing last year from France-based SWEN Capital Partners, with Green Giraffe providing financial advisory services.

For its Spain project, the company is developing a 100,000 ton green methanol plant, including 420 MW of solar PV and 120 MW of onshore wind capacity powering 220 MW of electrolyzers.

It expects to take a final investment decision on the Spain project by 2025, with production anticipated for 2028, according to the company website.

ETFuels as a third project in development in Finland, powered by “relentless” Arctic winds.

January 29, 2024

exclusive

Raising capital

Midwestern SAF developer in capital raise

A municipal solid waste solutions firm based in the midwestern US is undergoing a $30m capital raise ahead of its first SAF project with plans to launch another raise late this year or early next.

Illinois Clean Fuels, the municipal solid waste solutions firm in Deerfield, Illinois, has mandated two advisors to run a capital raise, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

Chabina Energy Partners and Weild & Co. are assisting on the process, which the company plans to have finished by October, the sources said.

The equity will be put toward six recovery facilities to supply feedstock for an unannounced project located in the Chicagoland region, one of the sources said. Following two years or so of engineering and permitting, that project should enter construction.

In December or early 1Q24 ICF plans to launch another equity raise for development capital.

ICF, Chabina and Weild & Co. declined to comment.

Illinois Clean Fuels has a synthetic fuel plant under development that will convert municipal solid waste into sustainable aviation fuel in combination with carbon capture and storage, according to its website.

August 3, 2023