Cortus Energy AB has announced that it has received an order from France-headed global energy major Engie SA to pre-design a WoodRoll gasification plant to generate renewable hydrogen from local biomass. The order refers to the first step in the pre-projection, which is expected to be carried out until mid-2018.
Hydrogen is an important energy carrier in the transition from fossil to renewable energy. There are several strong initiatives worldwide to develop the production and distribution of green hydrogen. Such an initiative has now been taken by the global energy company Engie that have selected the WoodRoll technology from Cortus Energy, a Swedish biomass gasification technology developer as a platform for a commercial-scale demonstration project.
The hydrogen gas plant is based on the same size and modular design as the Cortus Energy facility under construction in Höganäs, Sweden, and the project will generate green hydrogen from local biomass in the form of wood chips, wood residues, and bark.
The plant’s intended location is in France where hydrogen will replace fossil hydrogen from natural gas in various industrial applications in the local region. The plant will serve as a technical reference and demonstration of how green hydrogen can be generated from local biomass.
The green hydrogen is produced by gasification of biomass in Cortus Energy’s patented WoodRoll process. The process generates a hydrogen-rich (> 60 percent) energy gas from which hydrogen gas is separated. The residual gas is shifted and additional hydrogen is generated in this second step. In this manner, hydrogen production is maximized.
Finally, pressurized hydrogen is distributed via gas cylinders or delivered by pipeline. A valuable by-product of the process is food grade green liquid carbon dioxide (CO2). The preparation for the project shows high profitability for the combination of hydrogen and CO2.
According to Cortus Energy, WoodRoll was chosen by Engie after careful studies of different solutions. The order applies to the first step of several for a complete pre-project. The order value for the first step amounts to approximately SEK 575 000 (≈ EUR 55 000) of a total of SEK 7.6 million (≈ EUR 731 000) for the full pre-projection.
In connection with the first step, the second step is planned for fuel testing in Köping, Sweden for which planning is underway. Pre-projecting is done step by step where the parties’ ambition and goal are to complete this in 2018.
Based on the outcome of the preliminary projection, Engie will make an investment decision in 2019. The hydrogen plant will be based on the same size (6 MW) and modular output of WoodRoll that the company is building in Höganäs, but with subsequent process equipment to extract green hydrogen.
We are very pleased to have been selected for this hydrogen project. Our partner Engie is a respected energy company established on several continents. We see great potential for WoodRoll in the green hydrogen segment and we are pleased to deliver a pre-projection based on the same modular facility that we now build in Höganäs, said Rolf Ljunggren, CEO Cortus Energy.
