Innovation, Project news, Regulatory

NGT/NOGAT transitioning North Sea pipelines from gas to H2

The pipeline owners are the first to receive the Certificate of Fitness for the transport of green hydrogen in the North Sea.

October 6, 2022

Noordgastransport (NGT) and Northern Offshore Gas Transport (NOGAT) are the first pipeline owners to receive the Certificate of Fitness for the transport of green hydrogen through their existing pipelines in the North Sea, according to a press release.

The certificate was issued by Bureau Veritas Inspection & Certification. NGT’s 12-to-14 MW pipeline currently carries natural gas from the UK border to Uithuizen, but is now certified to carry up to 100% hydrogen.

“By making use of existing infrastructure, we are able to make the transition to green hydrogen in the North Sea more swiftly,” Hans Janssen, director at NOGAT, said in the release. “This can be pure hydrogen, but also a temporary mix of natural gas and green hydrogen.”

In 2018 DNV investigated the robustness of the pipelines’ steel, which showed that the steel is suitable and safe for hydrogen transportation. The pipelines are regularly inspected internally and externally to ensure their integrity. A major inspection is conducted every five years. The pipelines are supervised by the State Supervision of Mines. The Certificate of Appropriateness is valid until 2062.

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Innovation, Raising capital

Sustainable glass container producer raises $230m

A sustainable glass container producer has raised capital from Orion Infrastructure Capital and other institutional investors for a new facility that would use green hydrogen.

Glass container manufacturer Arglass has secured over $230m in capital to build a second furnace on its campus in Valdosta, Georgia. Arglass raised a combination of structured equity and debt to finance the construction, according to a news release.

Projected to be completed in Q2 2025, the new facility is expected to be capable of producing over 350 million sustainable glass containers annually. This state-of-the-art manufacturing plant will embody the future of glass with a fully integrated production network, driven by AI-integrated real-time data monitoring, predictive modeling and fully automated closed-loop production and quality assurance systems. These advances will allow the new facility to produce up to eight different glass container types simultaneously for maximum flexibility, enabling smaller production runs, faster reaction to market demands, lower inventory levels and reduced investment in molds.

These cutting-edge capabilities are planned to be backed by some of the most extensive sustainability infrastructure of any glass manufacturing plant in the world. The plant is expected to be powered by a hybrid gas, electric and hydrogen oxy-fuel furnace capable of melting 490 metric tons of glass per day. An additional five megawatts of power will be provided by a solar power installation.

“Our new furnace will aim to further establish Arglass as the most innovative, flexible and sustainable glass manufacturer in North America,” said Arglass Chairman and CEO José de Diego Arozamena. “Glass is already the most sustainable, recyclable and healthy packaging material, and the only packaging material classified as ‘generally recognized as safe’ by the FDA. I am incredibly proud to be leading the industry to new heights in sustainability.”

Other sustainability measures include the use of green hydrogen to reduce CO2 emissions, a closed-loop water system to minimize industrial waste and an on-site post-consumer glass recycling plant. The recycling plant will provide post-consumer glass cullet for use in the production of new containers. Arglass also produces glass using its proprietary Arglass Biogenic® glass composition, which replaces traditionally mined material with a naturally renewing, carbon-negative biogenic component gently harvested from the ocean.

“In addition to the industry advancements this new facility will create, we also Intend to bring 150 new jobs to the Valdosta area,” said Tony Krznâr, Arglass vice president of operations. “I look forward to working with the community at large to keep integrating with the beautiful tapestry of Georgia.”

The construction, which is expected to begin as soon as possible, will be supported by the Valdosta Lowndes Development Authority and the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Arglass plans to hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the new plant on the company’s campus in Valdosta.

Investment bank Jefferies acted as financial advisor for Arglass. Orion Infrastructure Capital and several other major institutional investors provided funding.

“Our newly formed capital partnership will accelerate Arglass’s innovative growth and transformation of the glass industry in North America while also representing OIC’s continued investment conviction in sustainable domestic packaging infrastructure,” said Chris Leary, investment partner and head of infra equity at OIC.

February 7, 2024

Innovation, Raising capital

NextEra leads Series B for hydrogen firm

Modern Hydrogen, previously known as Modern Electron, has completed an oversubscribed $32.8m Series B-2 funding round led by NextEra Energy.

Modern Hydrogen has completed an oversubscribed $32.8m Series B-2 funding round led by NextEra Energy, with strategic investors & partners Miura and National Grid Partners also participating, according to a news release.

Existing investors Gates Frontier, IRONGREY, Starlight Ventures, Valo Ventures and Metaplanet continued their participation and expanded their investments as part of the funding round.

Modern Hydrogen will leverage the investment to scale-up the capacity of its hydrogen production units. This will further accelerate decarbonization of gas networks and support distributed production of hydrogen, all without a reliance on new hydrogen pipelines or massive infrastructure upgrades. The capital will also be utilized to expand the company’s clean carbon material offerings and boost its global market presence via the partnership with Miura in Japan.

The company also announced the move away from its previous name, Modern Electron, to shape the new brand of Modern Hydrogen. This new identity reflects its commitment to innovation in the clean hydrogen economy. As Modern Hydrogen, the company will continue to provide the exceptional technology and products its customers have come to expect and will continue expanding offerings of clean energy and materials under the “Modern” umbrella.

The participation of NextEra Energy, Miura, and National Grid Partners in this funding round highlights their confidence in Modern Hydrogen’s vision and potential to clean up one of the largest sources of energy in human civilization today: Natural gas. These strategic investors bring a wealth of expertise in the energy, technology, and industrial equipment market, which will be invaluable as the company continues to scale and innovate.

“As a leading manufacturer of industrial boilers, our mission is to make it ‘actionable’ for our customers to decarbonize the heat. Among the various hydrogen production and transportation pathways, the clean hydrogen production at point of use from natural gas is unique, and bundled with our hydrogen-fired boiler, it will be a great solution to the customers who have limited access to clean hydrogen in the other pathways. Participating in the COP27 last year, I strongly felt the need for immediate climate action. Together with Modern Hydrogen, we will work toward hydrogen deployment as early as possible,” said Daisuke Miyauchi, president & CEO MIURA Co., Ltd.

“National Grid is mobilizing to help our customers reach net zero, and hydrogen plus renewable natural gas are key pillars of our strategy,” said Lisa Lambert, chief technology & innovation officer of National Grid and founder & president of National Grid Partners. “Modern’s technology could help our gas customers adopt clean hydrogen sooner by making low-CO2 hydrogen affordable onsite. Moreover, by pairing Modern’s pyrolysis technology with renewable natural gas in National Grid’s network, we have the potential to achieve negative emissions without the high cost of CO2 capture.”

“NextEra Energy Resources sees Modern Hydrogen’s potential to support the emerging hydrogen economy using technology that can provide clean hydrogen on-site, without liquefaction, transport or storage,” said Elena Bueno-Gonzalez, vice president, Clean Energy Solutions, NextEra Energy Resources. “In addition to our industry-leading wind, solar and battery energy storage portfolio, NextEra Energy Resources offers comprehensive decarbonization solutions, such as renewable natural gas and green mobility. NextEra Energy Resources believes that Modern Hydrogen will enable yet another exciting clean, cost-effective option for commercial and industrial customers.”

“There are 3 million miles of natural gas pipelines in the USA alone. And the delivered price of natural gas is much cheaper than that of delivered electricity, typically by a factor of 3 to 5 times,” explained Tony Pan, co-founder and CEO of Modern Hydrogen. “By stripping out the offending carbon atom from gas at the end of the pipe, before it has a chance to become CO2, Modern’s technology can deliver decarbonized gas – aka clean hydrogen – on location. Thus, Modern can deliver this hydrogen to the end consumer, without the decades and billions of dollars it would take to build out hydrogen infrastructure. Sidestepping the need for new pipes and transmission permits will be invaluable in achieving speed & scale in realizing the clean hydrogen economy.”

“Negative emissions technologies are required to meet humanity’s climate goals,” notes Modern Hydrogen Co-founder and CTO Max Mankin. “We can generate net negative emissions by applying our pyrolysis technology on carbon-neutral gases such as biogas. The solid carbon we pull out from the gas is directly weighed, so every ton of solid carbon we put into products and building materials are verifiable emissions captured, avoided, and utilized.”

May 11, 2023

Innovation, Project news

Topsoe to license waste-to-fuel technology

The agreement with Steeper Energy will allow Topsoe to provide a waste-to-fuel technology solution for sustainable aviation fuel, marine biofuel, and renewable diesel from waste biomass.

Denmark-headquartered Topsoe, a developer and provider of carbon emission reduction technologies, has signed a global licensing agreement for a complete waste-to-fuel solution with Steeper Energy.

With the agreement, Topsoe will be able to provide a complete waste-to-fuel technology solution and at the same time a one-stop solution for refineries, project developers, and industries having access to excess waste biomass, according to a news release. The end-products include sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), marine biofuel, and renewable diesel from waste biomass.

“This will make it easier for refineries and project developers to access the technology they need for advanced biofuels,” Peter Vang Christensen, senior vice president, Clean Fuels & Chemicals – Technology, Topsoe, said. “It will also allow them to access new renewable feedstocks while supporting decarbonization of the transportation sector, not least aviation and shipping.”

“Steeper recognizes Topsoe as a world leader in developing and implementing renewable refining technologies. Steeper’s Hydrofaction™ process, when combined with Topsoe’s technology, completes the pathway from biomass waste to drop-in liquid fuels and is compatible with existing refining infrastructure,” Bevan May, president, Steeper Energy, said. “This reduces capital requirements and allows for the accelerated deployment of these solutions. We are excited to combine our efforts with Topsoe and bring our joint solution to the renewable liquid fuels market.”

Steeper’s Hydrofaction™ has been validated through various stages of continuous pilot and demonstration-scale plant operations over the past 10 years.

With this agreement, the parties are working towards the first commercial scale deployment of Hydrofaction™ technology.

January 26, 2023

exclusive

Project news

See all 79 DOE hydrogen hub applicants

The list, obtained by this publication, shows whether projects were ‘encouraged’ or ‘discouraged’ to submit a final application.

The complete list of 79 applicants to the US Department of Energy’s hydrogen hub funding opportunity includes previously unreported projects from oil majors and renewable energy giants.

The list, obtained by this publication via a FOIA request, shows whether or not projects were ‘encouraged’ or ‘discouraged’ by the DOE to submit a final application before the April 7, 2023 deadline. The program is expected to offer $8bn in federal funding for six to 10 clean hydrogen hubs, with no single project receiving more than $1.25bn. A decision of funding recipients is expected this fall.

Over nearly nine months, the DOE FOIA office was unwilling to send information about the initial 79 applications that were submitted last year, citing confidential materials in the concept papers. The resulting list is therefore scant in details, showing only the name of the project and the lead entity.

While many of the concepts have been publicly announced by proponents, several major projects that have not been reported previously appear on the list: among others, ExxonMobil was encouraged to apply for funding for a project called “Hydrogen Liftoff Hub”; and NextEra has a “Southeast Hydrogen Network” project, which was also encouraged to apply.

The full list of project names and proponents has been added to The Hydrogen Source’s project database, which now showcases over 370 projects in North America, including hydrogen, ammonia, and sustainable aviation fuel as well as eFuels, carbon capture, direct air capture, and more.

The full database is available only to paid subscribers. Simply click over to the database and select the “DOE applicants” filter for the full list.

September 18, 2023

Project finance, Project news, Raising capital

Exclusive: North Dakota blue ammonia project kicking off FEED study

Catalyst Midstream is set to launch a FEED study for a 1 million ton blue ammonia facility in Berthold, North Dakota, with expected offtake in the Asia-Pacific marketplace. The project has not been previously announced or reported.

Catalyst Midstream is set to launch a FEED study for a blue ammonia facility in North Dakota that will produce over 1 million tons per year for export.

The project, which has not been reported previously, applied for a $10m North Dakota Clean Sustainable Energy Authority grant for the construction of a blue ammonia facility in Berthold, North Dakota. That’s in addition to $37.5m it requested from the North Dakota Development Fund’s Fertilizer Facility Loan Fund in September 2023.

The facility would be capable of producing 1,080,000 tons/year, using approximately 120,000 mcf gas/day.

Total project cost, according to the grant application, would be $960m.

As of September 2023, Catalyst Midstream was under contract to purchase a 330-acre rail loading facility for the project and had invested $15m in key project asset purchase and early project design work.

In February 2024, Catalyst Midstream employed Windom Peak Corporation to design, construct and operate the 2.4 million tonne per year CO2 sequestration part of the project.

Catalyst Midstream is owned by Edward Neibauer, who has been in project development in the oil and gas industry for several decades. When reached for comment, Neibauer noted the project would soon be kicking off a FEED study.

He added that the project was nearing agreements with offtakers in the Asia-Pacific marketplace, and that he expects to raise debt and equity to fund construction of the facility.

May 6, 2024

exclusive

M&A

IPP retains banker for California plant sale

An independent power producer has retained a banker for a sale of a decades-old gas plant in California. Aging gas plants have been in the sights of clean fuels developers looking to retrofit or use facilities for clean fuel production and combustion.

GenOn, an independent power producer, has hired Solomon Partners to sell a 54 MW gas plant in California, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The plant, Ellwood, is located in Goleta, in Santa Barbara County, and was shuttered and retired by GenOn as of 2019. It reached COD in 1973 and ran two Pratt & Whitney FT4C-1 gas turbine engines.

Ellwood previously interconnected via Southern California Edison, a utility that is pursuing multiple natural gas decarbonization projects, including a hydrogen-blending initiative with Bloom Energy.

A teaser for the sale of Ellwood, which was issued last week, notes there is an opportunity to install a battery energy storage system at the site, one of the sources added.

Elsewhere in California, investment firm Climate Adaptive Infrastructure and developer Meridian Clean Energy are seeking to demonstrate decarbonization in peaker plants at the much newer gas-fired Sentinel Energy Center. Their plans include hydrogen blending.

GenOn declined to comment. Solomon Partners did not respond to requests for comment.

October 3, 2023