TotalEnergies' Green Hydrogen Push: Cleaner Refineries for Europe

TotalEnergies and Air Liquide Join Forces to Cut CO2 Emissions via Green Hydrogen

French multinational oil and gas company TotalEnergies and market leader Air Liquide, in gases, technologies, and services, have joined forces to accelerate the decarbonization of TotalEnergies' European refineries. The operation will reduce carbon emissions by a significant level using green hydrogen. The partnership is one of the pillars of TotalEnergies' global strategy to reduce three million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions annually from its European refineries by 2030.

The two companies are focusing on utilizing renewable energy to produce green hydrogen and reducing TotalEnergies' Dutch and Belgian refineries' emissions. The green hydrogen will be produced from renewable power from the OranjeWind offshore wind farm, an undertaking which the two companies have in a joint ownership. The action forms part of both companies' individual sustainability plans as well as Europe's overall renewable energy push.

Big Green Hydrogen Production Projects
The tie-up is on the heels of two giant European green hydrogen projects. The first is the 250 MW Zeeland, Netherlands-committed electrolyser. The 30,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per annum will be produced by the electrolyser. The electrolyser will start production in 2029. The electrolyser will feed most of the electricity to TotalEnergies' Zeeland refinery and reduce CO2 by 300,000 tonnes per annum. The second is Rotterdam 130 MW Maasvlakte electrolyser with an output of 15,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year. Green hydrogen will be supplied to Belgian Antwerp refinery reducing the CO2 emission by 150,000 tonnes per year. The production of the electrolyser starts in 2027.

Reduction in CO2 Emissions from the Use of Green Hydrogen
TotalEnergies' collaboration with Air Liquide is one of the biggest steps towards the decarbonization of the hard-to-decarbonize sectors and reducing carbon emissions. The application of green hydrogen to refineries will directly impact industrial emissions, particularly from refining operations, where traditional carbon-based processes remain predominant. Fossil fuel-based hydrogen will be replaced by the green hydrogen with a cleaner-polluting contaminating alternative in operating the refineries.

Using the renewable energy of the OranjeWind wind farm, the electrolysers receive renewable energy in raw form, apart from reducing TotalEnergies' refineries' carbon footprint. Renewable energy produced in the wind farm goes a long way in making the produced hydrogen genuine in green content and helping TotalEnergies achieve sustainability pledges.

Future Boost in Green Hydrogen Projects
This initiative is an extension of TotalEnergies' broader objective to decarbonize hydrogen consumption in all of its European refineries by 2030. The objective is to lower its CO2 emissions through the adoption of cleaner fuel sources, i.e., renewable hydrogen for utilisation in its operations. TotalEnergies is in an ideal position to achieve its objectives of decarbonization and unveil the possibilities of low-carbon energy by utilizing Air Liquide's hydrogen technology and available infrastructure.

Air Liquide, which already possesses several low-carbon hydrogen production sites in Europe, considers these to be the foundation of its entire 2050 carbon-free enabler business case. Business models for low-carbon hydrogen are what Air Liquide has been developing and thus a leader in promoting Europe's new green hydrogen economy. 

Partnership to Fuel Sustainability
The collaboration of Air Liquide and TotalEnergies has raised the bar of partnership for the achievement of sustainability goals. The two corporations, through the partnership, are dominating Europe's supremacy in the production of green hydrogen. The programs also provide an example of packaged energy solution sustainability, in which renewable electricity from offshore wind farms is applied in the manufacture of clean hydrogen for industrial processes.

Success of these projects would be the benchmark for future green hydrogen projects across Europe, enabling the transition towards low-carbon production and enabling the European Union to achieve its net-zero emissions vision by 2050.

Conclusion
TotalEnergies and Air Liquide collaboration is a step forward in reducing the CO2 footprints of the industrial European economy. Green hydrogen production on the agenda with the help of renewable energy, the companies aim to bring in a clean sustainable low-carbon future. TotalEnergies decarbonization at its future projects in Zeeland and Maasvlakte will go a long way towards reaching this benchmark of shifting towards a cleaner and sustainable energy system.

Operational, Maasvlakte and Zeeland green hydrogen projects will have a major impact in lowering TotalEnergies' Netherlands and Belgium refineries' emissions. The projects are gearing TotalEnergies and Air Liquide for the energy conversion and hydrogen production future by making Europe.

Source: TotalEnergies