There was a time you will remember when renewable sources could almost be classified into three types: hydroelectric, photovoltaic and wind. However, the ecological transition has given rise to new proposals, such as one that America is about to test and that could revolutionize everything: this is the new energy that we are going to create by merging the two most powerful ones. One is hydrogen, and one is as toxic as it is promising for our future: you won’t believe what it is.
Japan has hydrogen, but America is going to fuse it with this new, toxic, energy
One of America’s largest energy companies, ExxonMobil, has recently inked a project framework deal with JERA, Japan’s largest power producer, toward the creation of a potentially revolutionary low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia synthesis. Blue hydrogen and ammonia, which are produced from it, are envisaged in the grand plan.
The intention is to “fuse” (not exactly, but you understand us) these two energies at the Exxon plant in Baytown, which is located to the east of the US state of Texas. It will also help to reduce the energy dependency in American homes on conventional, nonrenewable sources of energy, thereby aiding in the reduction of carbon emissions.
The proposal comes in the form of a greenfield project that consists of the construction of a hydrogen-producing plant and a carbon capture and storage facility at ExxonMobil’s Baytown site. The plants are expected to generate some 900,000 tonnes of low-carbon hydrogen per year, of which a fraction will be used to synthesize 1,000,000 tonnes of low-carbon ammonia.
Four years more to discover the energy of the future: 500,000 tonnes annually in America
The project is slated to start production in 2028, and JERA is also thinking of investing in the project, buying around 500,000 tonnes per year of low-carbon ammonia for its requirements in Japan. Looking at those aspects of the ExxonMobil project, it is possible to determine the following:
- First, it contributes significantly to building an overall picture of the USA in terms of having low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia production tools.
- These are areas of hydrogen and ammonia that make them important in the move towards a low-carbon economy energy system because both can be used for clean energy generation and as feedstocks for industrial uses.
- It showcased how natural gas and carbon capture and storage would be utilized in the production of blue hydrogen, another significant aspect of the project.
- Moreover, it highlights the internationalization of the search for quiet innovative solutions to decouple economic development from carbon emissions.
Such collaboration as ExxonMobil and JERA successfully apply emphasizes the necessity of cooperation among top companies to develop supply chains for important products like ammonia and hydrogen that are attractive for zero-emission thermal power production (and surpassing the capacity of Japanese hydrogen; remember, this one is pink).
The real question: how can energy generation in America change due to ammonia and hydrogen?
The project has the likelihood of changing the supply of energy in America, given that it is being spearheaded by ExxonMobil, a leading global firm in the production of energy products. Moreover, by utilizing low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia, it would play a role in diversifying the energy mix and easing the reliance on conventional fossil fuels.
Its emphasis on blue hydrogen, which is generated from natural gas through CCS technology, can also aid in the mitigation of emissions that result from the utilization of fossil fuels in energy generation. In addition, it can contribute to the increase of new employment opportunities and stimulate the development of the national economy.
The construction of hydrogen and ammonia production infrastructure may contribute to the establishment of new workplaces in the energy domain; the focus of the project on low-carbon energy-based solutions may contribute to the advancement and development of such initiatives in the region in terms of entrepreneurship.
The fusion of ammonia and hydrogen in America could be a historic milestone in energy generation, not only for combining two sources that, in principle, seem unrelated (except in mobility), but also for helping to decarbonize an economy sadly driven by oilfields and nuclear, which have proven to be inefficient in almost every way and which we have discussed on previous occasions (since WWF has stated the same).
