Decarbonisation Technology August 2022 issue

F ollowing on from the article ‘Delivering the Global Methane Pledge’ * in our May edition, we welcome announcements in July that three more companies, ConocoPhillips, Pioneer Natural Resources and Devon Energy, have joined OGMP 2.0. Another three companies, QatarEnergy, Wintershall DEA and Neptune Energy, have signed OGCI’s ‘Aiming for Zero Methane Emissions Initiative’. Our August edition illustrates the all-embracing nature of the energy transition with articles on two industrial clusters, HyNet North West and East Coast/Teesside, confirmed for ‘Track 1’ development with support from the UK Government. A third cluster, the “Scottish cluster”, was announced as a reserve. We plan to follow progress with all three clusters. Thermal energy storage can provide stable, long-term energy storage, overcoming issues with intermittency from renewable energy sources. In Denmark, an electro-thermal energy storage (ETES) system will be commissioned in 2023, which will buffer energy supply from offshore wind and tidal sources with energy demand in the form of sustainable electricity, heating, and cooling for the city of Esbjerg. Whilst the Esbjerg system uses water as the medium for energy storage, solid particles such as silica sand are a viable solution for thermal energy storage from concentrated solar power, as described in the article by Solex. Moving from Europe to Japan, KBC has conducted a techno- economic assessment on carbon capture and utilisation together with green hydrogen for producing renewable chemicals in the Goi industrial area in Tokyo Bay. The assessment uses pricing scenarios for green hydrogen over 30 years. They conclude that mandates or other form of support are required for the introduction of low carbon intensity products such as sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). The topic of sustainable fuels continues with articles on different phases in the transition. In the short term, technically mature, lower- cost routes using sustainable bio-based feedstocks will be deployed, but ultimately these are likely to be limited by feedstock availability. Thus e-fuels, currently at lower maturity and more costly, will be required in the longer term. In July, the European Parliament approved the Refuel EU regulation. This regulation will come into effect in January 2023 with mandates on the minimum levels of biofuels and e-fuels in aviation kerosene, starting at 2% (with 0.04% e-fuels) in 2025 and increasing to 85% (with 50% e-fuels) by 2050. Challenges in processing bio-feedstocks include their physical and chemical compatibility with conventional refinery streams, as discussed by Grace, as well as cost and logistical issues concerning the transport of bulky biomass over long distances. AFRY makes a clear case for co-locating renewable methanol production in pulp mills or bio-waste processing plants where there is a source of biogenic CO₂ and renewable electricity for green hydrogen production.

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Cover Story Galp Sines Refinery, Portugal

Credit: Galp

* Please note that the article ‘Delivering the Global Methane Pledge’, published in Decarbonisation Technology May 2022, now includes some valuable feedback from Simon Blakely, Senior Advisor, S&P Global Commodities Insight. Please click HERE to read the feedback together with the full article. UPDATE