Green hydrogen in the chemical industry

About 10 million tonnes of hydrogen are already used in EU industry as a feedstock for ammonia production.

The role of hydrogen

Blue and green hydrogen are the two key low-CO2 alternatives that could replace carbon-intensive gray hydrogen, which accounts for 95% of hydrogen production.

The energy transition and the path to zero emissions have also led to new potential roles for low-CO2 hydrogen, with the hydrogen market expected to exceed 100 million tonnes by 2050, making hydrogen the main energy carrier of the future energy EU system. There are three important industries driving demand: industry (heat, steam, reducing agent in the steel industry), sustainable fuels for transport (mainly shipping, long-haul road transport and aviation) and sustainable chemical feedstocks (methanol, ammonia) and more some hydrogen as a storage medium to enable the transition to renewable energy.

Hydrogen and chemical industry

Initiated by a group of European gas transmission system operators (TSOs) in 2020 and revised this year, the European Hydrogen Backbone (EHB) initiative is a proposal for a dedicated network infrastructure for hydrogen gas pipelines, largely based on redirection of existing ones for natural gas. The EHB aims to accelerate the decarbonisation of the energy and industrial sectors at EU level by deploying low-CO2 hydrogen, while ensuring energy supply and system sustainability. By 2030, the EHB will be composed of 11,600 km of pipelines connecting the emerging hydrogen valleys. The overall hydrogen infrastructure will then gradually grow to become a pan-European network, reaching a total length of 39,700 km by 2040.

Several companies and consortia have already started the transition to green hydrogen by initiating projects across Europe. These projects cover a wide range of applications such as energy to methanol, energy to methane, green ammonia production and blue hydrogen production across Europe. It is critical that chemical companies start laying the foundations of their hydrogen infrastructure as soon as possible.

Hydrogen projects in the chemical industry

Production of green ammonia

HØST PtX Esbjerg is a green ammonia plant under development that uses industrial electrolysis technology. Power-to-X (PtX) is a next-generation renewable energy and storage technology that represents an important new chapter in the large-scale decarbonization of infrastructure and agriculture. The plant will rely on electricity from renewable sources as the sole source of energy. The result of this CO2-free production process is green hydrogen, with the final end product being green ammonia.

HØST PtX Esbjerg will use renewable resources to produce approximately 600,000 tonnes of green ammonia, which can be used as a raw material for fertilizer production and as an environmentally friendly fuel in the marine industry. Production is expected to start in 2026.

Hydrogen as marine fuel

INOVYN is a major player in the Norwegian chemical industry. At its facilities, INOVYN produces caustic soda, chlorine and vinyl chloride monomer. The company plans to build a 20MW electrolyser that will produce pure hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis of water based on green electricity. The project is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 22,000 tonnes and will reduce the carbon footprint of the company’s business in Norway.

Additionally, the company plans to build a hydrogen-powered barge to transport liquid chemicals. The barge will transport vital raw materials for INOVYN between the company’s sites in Belgium. The low-CO2 hydrogen to power the barge will be supplied by INOVYN as a by-product of its chemical production operations. This is part of INOVYN’s ongoing strategy to develop green hydrogen and replace existing carbon sources of energy, raw materials and fuel.

The leading role of Europe

The emerging hydrogen economy is being supported by policy initiatives at European and national level, with an estimated required investment of €430 billion by 2030. The increasing number of hydrogen projects being initiated or announced in the chemical industry is a good indicator of the interest in hydrogen technologies . Countries outside of Europe are also catching up with formalizing hydrogen strategies and projects, and China’s hydrogen demand is expected to reach 60 million tons per year by 2050.

For chemical companies, hydrogen will be a key factor in achieving zero emissions, by setting the right strategy and foundation for a sustainable future. In this way, the industry will be the founder of the emerging hydrogen economy.

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