In August 2021, the Port of Corpus Christi Authority and Howard Midstream Energy Partners executed a Memorandum of Understanding stating their intention to convert Howard’s Javelina refinery services facility into a blue hydrogen production facility.

Howard’s Javelina facility is positioned in the Port of Corpus Christi with pipeline connectivity to all six of the local refineries. Javelina controls approximately sixty million cubic feet per day of hydrogen production through a combination of hydrogen entrained in the refineries’ waste gas that the facility processes and hydrogen produced through a steam methane reformer process. This hydrogen is currently sold back to refineries and other industries where it is used to remove impurities like sulfur during the refining process. The Port of Corpus Christi and Howard ultimately hope to scale hydrogen production for exports to overseas demand centers.

According to the MOU, Howard intends to capture its carbon emissions at Javelina. The parties will collaborate to identify uses for the residual CO2 as well as capture and storage options.