Maire Tecnimont Group and NTPC Sign Memorandum of Understanding to develop green methanol project in India

Tecnimont Private Limited, Indian subsidiary of Maire Tecnimont Group, has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NTPC, India’s largest power generation company. The objective of the MOU is to jointly evaluate and explore the possibility to develop commercial scale Green Methanol Production facilities at NTPC project in India.

The Green Methanol Project involves capturing carbon from NTPC power plants and converting it into green fuel. Green Methanol has a wide range of applications, including serving the chemical industry as a base material, being used as an energy carrier for storing electricity generated from renewable sources, and serving as a transportation fuel. It is also considered as a substitute fuel for maritime fuel applications.

Alessandro Bernini, Maire Tecnimont Group and NextChem CEO, commented: “This collaboration with a leading player such as NTPC represents another strategic milestone for Maire Tecnimont Group in its roadmap to consolidate its industrial footprint as technology provider and energy transition enabler for the Indian natural resource transformation market”.

Source: Maire Tecnimont S.p.A.

Maire Tecnimont Group awarded new contracts for approximately USD 280 Million

Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. announces that its subsidiaries Tecnimont, KT-Kinetics Technology and Stamicarbon have been awarded several new contracts for licensing, engineering services, engineering and procurement (EP) and engineering, procure-ment and construction (EPC) activities, for an overall value of approximately USD 280 million. These contracts have been granted by international clients mainly in North America and Latin America, Africa, and the Far East. 

In particular, Stamicarbon, the innovation and license company of Maire Tecnimont Group, has been selected as the licensor for a major urea project in China. The plant’s capacity of 3,791 metric tons per day makes it the largest urea plant to be ever licensed by Stamicarbon in China. 
Alessandro Bernini, Maire Tecnimont Group CEO, commented: “These new value-added, higher margins contracts further consolidate our Group’s positioning in the global natural resource transformation market and provide strong evidence of the resilience of our technology-driven business model, leveraging on our companies’ distinctive competencies.”

Source: Maire Tecnimont S.p.A.

Maire Tecnimont awarded USD 1.3 Billion EPC Petrochemical Contract

Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. announces that its subsidiary Tecnimont S.p.A. has been awarded an EPC (Engineering, Procurement e Construction) Lump Sum contract relating to the implementation of a petrochemical project.

The overall value of the contract is approximately USD 1.3 billion and relates to the realization of a petrochemical plant together with its associated utilities and offsite facilities.

The project’s scope of work entails complete engineering services, equipment and material supply, erection, and construction activities up to mechanical completion which is expected in 2026. 

Source: Maire Tecnimont S.p.A.

Technip Energies Awarded a Proprietary Equipment Contract by Chevron Phillips Chemical and QatarEnergy for the Golden Triangle Polymers Ethane Cracker

Technip Energies has been awarded a contract for the supply of proprietary cracking furnaces for the 2,000 kta ethane cracker for the Golden Triangle Polymers project, a joint venture between Chevron Phillips Chemical (CPChem) and QatarEnergy, along the Gulf Coast in Orange, Texas.

This latest award is in line with our early engagement strategy with CPChem and QatarEnergy, which resulted in the selection of our proprietary ethylene technology and includes the successful completion of the ethylene license and Process Design Package (PDP).

The modularized cracking furnaces will feature seven of the largest capacity furnaces that Technip Energies has ever designed. The cracker is designed using modern emissions reduction technology and processes that result in lower greenhouse gas emissions than similar facilities in the United States and Europe.

Bhaskar Patel, SVP Sustainable Fuels, Chemicals and Circularity of Technip Energies, commented: “We are very pleased that CPChem and QatarEnergy selected our cracker technology and design for this mega-cracker project. Utilizing our extensive experience with ethylene cracker design and our latest advancements to reduce emissions will contribute to their efforts to help enable a lower carbon future. We thank CPChem for its continued confidence in T.EN’s cracking technology, having previously incorporated the technology at other facilities.”

This contract award is representing over €250 million of revenue for Technip Energies.

Source: Technip Energies

Eni and Snam form a joint venture to develop the Ravenna Carbon Capture and Storage project in Italy

Eni Chief Executive Officer Claudio Descalzi and Snam Chief Executive Officer Stefano Venier signed an agreement to jointly develop and manage Phase 1 of the Ravenna Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Project, through an equal joint venture. The agreement also includes the implementation of studies and preparatory activities for the subsequent development phases.

Phase 1 of the Ravenna CCS Project covers the capture of 25,000 tons of CO2 emitted from Eni’s natural gas treatment plant in Casalborsetti (Ravenna). Once captured, the CO2 will be piped to the Porto Corsini Mare Ovest platform and injected into the homonymous depleted gas field in Ravenna’s offshore.

Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi commented: it is necessary to join forces in order to reconcile decarbonization goals, energy security and competitiveness. This agreement represents an example of excellence, leveraging industrial synergies to contribute to the decarbonisation of Italy’s production system. Phase 1 of the Ravenna Project will allow to reduce emissions from the Casalborsetti power plant, launching in Italy a project based on a mature technological process that is key for the achievement of our climate goals. CCS is complementary to renewables, to energy efficiency solutions and to the other available levers, and is central to avoiding CO2 emissions from highly energy-intensive sectors that currently have no technological alternatives for decarbonisation”.

Snam CEO Stefano Venier said: “It is a fact that CCS technologies have consolidated their role at a global level as a tool available to achieve decarbonisation goals, and for this reason they are gaining more and more attention from governments, investors and industry players. CCS projects are being developed globally and are already at an advanced stage both in Europe – especially in the UK, the Netherlands and the Nordic countries – and in the US. This joint venture sets the first initiative in Italy with the ambition to offer a solution to the entire hard-to-abate production cluster in the Po Valley, and potentially also to other Italian regions as well as other countries bordering the Mediterranean basin. Snam will contribute to the project with its know-how and distinctive skills in the transport and management of molecules, in this case CO2.”

The project represents a fundamental step to respond to the decarbonisation needs of steel mills, cement plants, ceramics and chemical industries and more generally of the “hard-to-abate” industry through an immediately available, highly efficient and effective technological process, which makes it possible to exploit the infrastructures and skills already present in the area. The planned activities will create new job opportunities, with an overall estimate of over 500 new jobs during Phase 1 of the project.

The important role of CCS in climate change mitigation strategies is reflected in the analyses of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the International Energy Agency (IEA), which in their latest reports confirm CO2 capture, utilisation and storage as one of the “must-have” solutions for achieving climate goals.

Eni and Snam are related parties. Both companies applied its own internal procedure.

Source: Eni 

Aramco and TotalEnergies to build $11 bln giant petrochemical complex in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Arabian Oil Company (“Aramco”) and TotalEnergies have taken the final investment decision for the construction of a world scale petrochemical facility in Saudi Arabia. The “Amiral” complex will be owned, operated, and integrated with the existing SATORP refinery located in Jubail on Saudi Arabia’s eastern coast. The investment decision is subject to customary closing conditions and approvals.

The petrochemical facility will enable SATORP to convert internally produced refinery off-gases and naphtha, as well as ethane and natural gasoline supplied by Aramco, into higher value chemicals, helping to advance Aramco’s liquids to chemicals strategy.

The complex will comprise of a mixed feed cracker capable of producing 1.65 million tons per annum of ethylene, the first in the region to be integrated with a refinery. It will also include two state-of-the-art polyethylene units using Advanced Dual Loop technology, a butadiene extraction unit, and other associated derivatives units. 

The project alone represents an investment of around $11 billion, of which $4 billion will be funded through equity by Aramco (62.5%) and TotalEnergies (37.5%). Its construction is scheduled to begin during the first quarter of 2023 with commercial operation targeted to start in 2027. 

Eventually, the complex will provide feedstock to other petrochemical and specialty chemical plants, located in the Jubail industrial area, which will be built, owned and operated by globally renowned downstream investors, entailing an estimated additional $4 billion of investments.  This will support the establishment of key manufacturing industries such as carbon fibers, lubes, drilling fluids, detergents, food additives, automotive parts and tires.

The overall complex, including adjacent facilities, is expected to create 7,000 local direct and indirect jobs. 

In July 2022, SATORP was the first MENA refinery to be certified ISCC+, an international recognition towards its circular initiatives, such as the recycling of plastic and used cooking oil. A first batch of recycled plastic was processed by the refinery in November 2022.

Saudi Aramco Chief Executive Officer Amin H. Nasser said: “Our long-standing relationship with TotalEnergies has been further strengthened by this important project, which represents an opportunity for us to showcase the potential for cutting edge liquids to chemicals technologies that support the circular economy. With this collaboration we aim to expand the value chain by producing advanced chemicals more efficiently than ever before, accelerating industrial progress in the Kingdom.”

Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of TotalEnergies said: “We are delighted to write a new page of our joint history by launching this expansion project, building on the successful development of SATORP, our biggest and most efficient refining & petrochemicals platform in the world. It also deepens the exemplary relationship between our two companies over many decades in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This world-class complex also fits with our strategy to expand sustainably in petrochemicals by maximizing the synergies within our major platforms.”

Source: TotalEnergies 

Saipem awarded new offshore contracts for a total amount of approximately 1.2 billion USD

Saipem has been awarded new contracts in Guyana and Egypt for a total amount of approximately 1.2 billion USD.

The first contract has been awarded by ExxonMobil Guyana, subject to government approvals, for the UARU oil field development project, located in the Stabroek block offshore Guyana at a water depth of around 2,000 meters. The contract scope includes the design, fabrication and installation of subsea structures, risers, flowlines and umbilicals for a large subsea production facility.  Saipem, who was previously awarded other four subsea contracts by ExxonMobil Guyanafor prior developments in the same area, namely Liza Phase 1 and 2, Payara, and Yellowtail, will perform the operations by using its vessels, including FDS2 and Constellation.

Subject to the necessary government approvals, project sanction by ExxonMobil Guyana and its Stabroek block coventurers and an authorization to proceed with the final phase, the award will allow Saipem to start some limited activities, namely detailed engineering and procurement.

The second contract has been awarded by Petrobel for the transportation, installation and pre-commissioning of 170 km of umbilicals for the Zohr Field, to be transported and installed between the central control platform (70 m water depth) and the subsea field (1,500 m water depth), connecting to the existing subsea production systems. The offshore campaign is planned to start during Q3 2023.

Source: Saipem 

Enagas, GRTgaz, Terega and REN Sign an MOU for the Development of the H2MED Project

The Spanish gas transmission system operator Enagás, the French gas transmission system operators GRTgaz and Teréga, and the Portuguese gas transmission system operator REN have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to formalize their commitment to collaborate in a coordinated manner in the joint development of H2MED, following the mandate given by the governments of the three countries at the Euromed Summit. The objective of this partnership is to make the infrastructure operational from 2030.

On October 20, 2022, the President of the Spanish Government, the President of the French Republic and the Portuguese Prime Minister decided to accelerate the development of energy interconnections and to create a green energy corridor linking Portugal, Spain and the France to the energy network of the European Union. They also agreed on the development of a hydrogen interconnection between Portugal and Spain (Celórico-Zamora) as well as the development of a maritime gas pipeline linking Spain and France (Barcelona-Marseille) in order to transport renewable hydrogen from the Iberian Peninsula to Central Europe. The three leaders ratified this commitment at the Euromed summit on December 9, with the support of the President of the European Commission,

The 4 transmission system operators welcomed this decision very favorably. H2MED is an example of cooperation and multilateralism between neighboring countries with a common goal: the decarbonisation of Europe. They have been cooperating since October 20 to provide technical advice to their respective governments regarding the development of H2MED.

Enagás, GRTgaz, Teréga, and REN will also jointly submit these projects for the labeling of Projects of Common Interest (PCI) under the new regulation on trans-European energy networks.

The development of H2MED is the first pillar of the European Hydrogen Backbone, which aims to accelerate the decarbonisation of Europe by creating the hydrogen infrastructure necessary for the development of a hydrogen market. competitive, liquid and pan-European hydrogen. H2MED will accelerate the deployment of hydrogen in Europe and connect the Iberian Peninsula to France and Northern Europe.

Among the benefits of this project are industrial development, with a high level of innovation, the reduction of emissions and the development of renewable energies, as well as the creation of jobs and the promotion of a just transition.

H2MED will have the capacity to transport up to 2 million tons per year of renewable hydrogen, which represents 10% of the consumption expected in Europe in 2030, according to REPowerEU.

Source: GRTgaz

Petrofac secures brownfield EPC contract with ADNOC

Petrofac, a leading provider of services to the global energy industry, has been awarded a lump-sum engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract with ADNOC in the United Arab Emirates. Under the agreement, Petrofac’s Asset Solutions business will design and install facilities to optimise operations and reduce methane and greenhouse gas emissions at the Habshan Complex, located 150 kilometres South West of Abu Dhabi.

This award follows the September 2022 announcement that Petrofac will continue to support ADNOC’s operations at the Haliba oil field, with a two-year Field Maintenance Services contract extension.

Present in the UAE since in 1991, with operational centres in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, Petrofac has developed a large workforce to deliver both regional and international projects, while supporting In-Country Value and Emiratisation.

Source: Petrofac

Air Products, AES to invest $4 bln in building largest U.S. green hydrogen plant

Air Products and The AES Corporation announced plans to invest approximately $4 billion to build, own and operate a green hydrogen production facility in Wilbarger County, Texas. This mega-scale renewable power to hydrogen project includes approximately 1.4 gigawatts (GW) of wind and solar power generation, along with electrolyzer capacity capable of producing over 200 metric tons per day (MT/D) of green hydrogen, making it the largest green hydrogen facility in the United States.  
 
The facility, which is targeted to begin commercial operations in 2027, will serve growing demand for zero-carbon intensity fuels for the mobility market as well as other industrial markets. It will yield a totally clean source of energy on a massive scale, and, if all the green hydrogen were used in the heavy-duty truck market, it would eliminate more than 1.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions annually when compared to diesel use in heavy-duty trucks. Over the project lifetime, it is expected to avoid more than 50 million metric tons of CO2, the equivalent of avoiding emissions from nearly five billion gallons of diesel fuel. 
 
Air Products and AES(i) will jointly and equally own the renewable energy and electrolyzer assets, with Air Products serving as the exclusive off-taker and marketer of the green hydrogen under a 30-year contract.  

The project would create more than 1,300 construction and 115 permanent operations jobs, as well as about 200 transportation and distribution jobs. It is also expected to generate approximately $500 million in tax benefits to the state over the course of the project’s lifetime, while extending Texas’ energy leadership. 
 
“We are very pleased to announce this exciting joint venture with AES, which is one of the leading renewable energy companies in America. The new facility in Texas will be, by far, the largest mega-scale clean hydrogen production facility in the U.S. to use wind and sun as energy sources. We have been working on the development of this project with AES for many years and it will be competitive on a world-scale while bringing significant tax, job and energy security benefits to Texas. We are excited to move forward and make clean green hydrogen available to U.S. customers in the near future,” said Seifi Ghasemi, Air Products’ Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. 
 
AES President and Chief Executive Officer Andrés Gluski stated, “This project will capitalize on AES’ position as one of the nation’s largest renewable energy developers and its global leadership in innovations such as energy storage systems and supplying around the clock clean energy to data centers. We are very pleased to partner with the world leader in hydrogen, Air Products, for this first of its kind mega-scale green hydrogen facility in the United States. We will build more than 1 GW of new solar and wind facilities to provide zero carbon energy for electrolysis and related production facilities. AES believes that green hydrogen has a key role to play in decarbonizing transportation and accelerating the future of energy.”  
 
Demand for green hydrogen for mobility and industrial applications is expected to grow exponentially across the United States over the next decade. The growth in demand is supported by green hydrogen’s role in net-zero ambitions announced by several states and major corporations. The project is subject to receipt of local permits, and local, state and federal incentives.

Source: Air Products

Technip Energies Selected by Infinite Green Energy for a Green Hydrogen Production Project in Australia

Technip Energies has been selected by Infinite Green Energy Ltd to perform a Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) for their MEG-HP1 Early Production Facility, a 10MW Green Hydrogen production project in Northam, Western Australia.

MEG-HP1 Early Production Facility will be powered by the Northam Solar Farm, located approximately 100 kilometres east of Perth, to be acquired by Infinite Green Energy Ltd. The 10 MW Northam Solar Farm consists of 33,600 solar panels and is constructed over 25 hectares (around 0.25 km2). The Northam Solar Farm is already connected to the South West Interconnected System (SWIS) with additional land secured for potential expansion.

The 10 MW green hydrogen production facility will be located in close proximity to the solar farm and will produce up to 4.3 tonnes per day. Hydrogen production offtake is focused on the heavy transport sector, targeting back-to-base logistics operators and local governments with in-depot refueling.

Gareth Philp, Australia Managing Director of Technip Energies, said: “We are proud to have been selected as an execution partner by Infinite Green Energy Ltd for the MEG-HP1 Early Production Facility project. We are committed to leveraging our local footprint and our integration and design expertise to contribute to building the future of green hydrogen in Australia.”

Stephen Gauld, CEO and founder of Green Infinite Energy, added: “This is an important milestone for Infinite Green Energy and we’re pleased to be partnering with Technip Energies on Front End Engineering and Design.  Our MEG-HP1 Early Production facility at Northam is leading the transition to a net zero economy. With first gas expected in 2024, Infinite Green Energy is on track to delivering some of the first commercial-scale green hydrogen in WA.”

Source: Technip Energies

Kent wins Pre-FEED Engineering Contract for £360m Carbon Capture Plant at Essar Stanlow Refinery, UK

Kent, a leading engineering company in oil and gas, carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS), and hydrogen (H2) have been awarded a Pre-FEED Study by Essar Oil UK for the Stanlow Refinery.

As part of the new contract win, Kent will incorporate a CO2 Capture and Storage Plant (CCS) to capture CO2 from the Fluid Catalytic Cracker (FCC) flue gas at Essar’s Stanlow Refinery in the North West of England, the UK’s first low carbon refinery.

The project supports Stanlow’s position as the central pillar of the HyNet low-carbon energy project and Essar’s UK decarbonisation strategy.

Since 2019 Kent, as part of a consortium with Progressive Energy and Essar (now Vertex Hydrogen) and Johnson Matthey, has also delivered Pre-FEED, FEED, and additional work packages for a Low Carbon Hydrogen Plant (HPP1), also to be located on Essar’s Stanlow Refinery, and part of the HyNet Northwest industrial cluster.

HyNet Northwest is being developed to provide low carbon hydrogen production, storage, transportation, and associated CO2 Transmission & Storage (T&S) for the Ellesmere Port industrial area and beyond.

Matt Wills, Market Director, Low Carbon Onshore Projects at Kent, said, “We are delighted to be a part of this milestone project. We have an excellent relationship with Essar, and we feel honoured to continue supporting them in their aim to reduce energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to help meet global climate targets. Also, contract wins like these demonstrate our capability of full energy transition scopes, i.e., hydrogen, carbon capture, and decarbonisation.”

Essar Oil UK Limited has committed to reducing carbon emissions from operations by 75% by 2030 and becoming net zero by 2040. This will be achieved via energy efficiency, switching fuel to low carbon H2, and implementing carbon capture to mitigate approximately 1 MTPA of CO2 emissions from the refinery’s Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) Coke.

Source: Kent