Decarbonisation Technology May 2025 Issue

Economically viable refinery decarbonisation scenario How the integration of a synthetic fuels unit inside an existing fuels complex can be financially viable while reducing carbon footprints

Juan Carlos Latasa López IDOM Consulting

T he article analyses a technically integrates synthetic fuels units with existing fossil fuels units by installing carbon capture and using the captured carbon dioxide (CCU) in combination with low carbon intensity hydrogen (blue and green) for the production of synthetic fuels. The future of the fuels industry cannot rely, in the short or even medium term, on electrification and green or blue fuels alone. The transition is possible, but the planned fast transition or the theoretical disruption of fuels supply, as reported by some authorities and other sources, is not only an impossible dream but a mistake that is provoking the most absolute inability to meet published plans for the energy transition, Many governments around the world continue to fall short of delivering their commitments made in existing nationally determined feasible, economically viable alternative configuration for refineries, which contributions (NDCs) even though they have the ability to increase such commitments in successive revisions of their NDCs. In general, these plans include unachievable targets in terms of timescale and the level of decarbonisation of both industry and broader society. Many are overly reliant on electrification and the shift to renewable sources of electricity generation. Renewable electricity should be considered one of the measures required for decarbonisation, but not the sole target. The evolution of national energy transition plans can be clearly assessed using the emissions register and how the energy environment has changed in recent years. New ‘players’ in the energy environment need to be

considered, such as society’s increasing reliance on data centres and the emergence of artificial intelligence. Another unfortunate factor that has a real impact on global emissions is the escalation of conflicts. Furthermore, energy transition plans in regions such as the European Union are inducing reduced competitiveness and an economic and technical ‘cul-de-sac’. This is caused, among several additional “ The future of the fuels industry cannot rely, in the short or even medium term, on electrification and green or blue fuels alone ” considerations, by unrealistically disruptive fuel and mobility strategies and not driven by practicable efficiency and techno-economical parameters. Evolution of global emissions – existing trends and the need for change EDGAR is an open-access database developed by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission to monitor trends in global anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases and air pollution under the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (UNFCC). The EDGAR database uses a consistent methodology to collect and analyse data provided by more than 220 countries. Figure 1 shows a steady increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from 1970 through 2023, despite the combined efforts of all signatories to the Paris Agreement.