Spain-headed global liquid logistics major Exolum Corporation SA, has announced the start of the world's first project to transport and store green hydrogen on a commercial scale in existing oil infrastructure by using liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs). Led by Exolum, it is being carried out in Immingham, the UK's largest freight port.
Liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) are organic compounds that can absorb and release hydrogen through chemical reactions.
Therefore these can be used as a safe means of storing and transporting hydrogen in liquid form.
Utilize existing liquids infrastructure
Exolum is one of the world’s largest liquid logistics companies with a major fuel pipeline and tank storage network in the UK. It delivers fuel to airports for around four out of every ten flights taking off from the UK annually.
Exolum sees the project as enabling the utilization of its existing infrastructure to accelerate a speedier, more flexible, and more efficient growth of the hydrogen market.
This approach will allow a more targeted approach to the development of hydrogen infrastructure, ensuring that storage is located in areas closer to the points of expected demand, such as ports or industrial areas.
The pioneering project we have launched proposes a realistic, safe, and cheap formula for distributing green hydrogen that is in line with existing demand. In this way, we avoid developing new infrastructure by using our logistics network, one of the most efficient in the world. We are convinced that this initiative will make a decisive contribution to the decarbonization of the economy and the diversification of alternative energy sources, said Ignacio Casajús, Exolum’s Global Strategy & Growth Lead.
A new logistics model for hydrogen
According to Exolum, the potential of LOHCs to selectively, safely, and reliably transport and store hydrogen “is enormous”, and this project can open the door to the reuse of existing fossil fuel infrastructures.
The project has received GBP505,000 in funding from the UK Government as part of the Hydrogen Storage and Distribution Supply Chain Collaborative R&D program run by Innovate UK.
The trial will transport 400 m3 of LOHC containing 20 tonnes of hydrogen through a 1.5 km long pipeline connecting Exolum’s facilities at Immingham East and Immingham West in the Humber Region.
Laboratory tests will be carried out to confirm that LOHC quality is maintained in this process.
This demonstration will also include a scientific study of the potential costs and benefits of converting, transporting, storing, and releasing hydrogen as LOHC, to be published in early 2025.
Strategic contribution to the UK’s energy future
Exolum estimates that its facilities in the UK will be able to distribute 4.6 TWh of hydrogen per year, 30 percent of the total demand forecast by the UK Government for 2030.
This project will contribute to the objectives of the UK Government’s Clean Power Mission 2030 by replacing the current underground storage facilities with terminals at the points of consumption of this gas.
Exolum, which began operating in the United Kingdom in 2015, is the only independent provider for the storage and distribution of fuels via pipeline and has 22 storage terminals with more than 2.4 million m3 of storage capacity.
Develop green hydrogen production
In addition to this project, the company is developing a green hydrogen production plant and refueling station as part of the Tees Valley Hydrogen Vehicle Ecosystem project, which also includes the construction of a water electrolyzer and hydrogen refueling station at the Exolum Riverside Terminal in Stockton-on-Tees.
The electrolyzer will produce green hydrogen using electricity from renewable sources and will supply both the planned refueling station, with a capacity of 1.5 tonnes per day, and other customers in the region through the ‘hub and spoke’ distribution model.
In Spain, Exolum has completed construction of the first integrated plant for the production and dispensing of green hydrogen for mobility in the Community of Madrid, which will supply heavy transport vehicles to contribute to the decarbonization of road logistics.
The company is involved in other projects aimed at promoting the development of new energy vectors by taking advantage of existing infrastructures and researching renewable hydrogen storage and distribution technologies of LOHC, such as the Regenera and GreenH2Pipes consortia.
