Page 163 - CW E-Magazine (12-11-2024)

News from Abroad News from Abroad

CHANGE OF PLANS FEEDSTOCK SOURCING
Neste drops plans to produce renewable hydrogen Idemitsu Kosan and Mitsubishi Corp look to strengthen

at Porvoo refi nery low-carbon ammonia supply chain to Japan

Finland’s renewable chemicals and Japanese firms – Idemitsu Kosan
fuels maker, Neste, has decided to with- and Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) –
draw from investing into a 120-MW have agreed to jointly study the effi cient
electrolyser project to produce renew- operation of clean ammonia carriers and
able hydrogen at its Porvoo refi nery in transshipment terminals, participation
Finland. The decision follows the com- in ExxonMobil’s planned low-carbon
pletion of the basic engineering phase, hydrogen and low-carbon ammonia
which commenced in May 2023. production project in Baytown, Texas,
USA, as well as the offtake of ammonia.
The company said decision comes Through this study, Idemitsu and MC
in the backdrop of challenging market will accelerate their study on structuring
conditions and fi nancial performance, a supply chain for low-carbon ammonia
requiring critical assessment of any new procured from outside of Japan.
investments. “Evaluation of this project initial renewable hydrogen project, we develop hydrogen ecosystems connec-
has been impacted by the tight limita- are actively evaluating alternative path- ted to our Porvoo refinery,” said Idemitsu, a refi ning and petrochemi-
tions on the use of renewable hydrogen ways for securing renewable hydrogen Mr. Markku Korvenranta, Executive cals major, has established an ammonia
in the refi nery’s processes in fulfi lling in Porvoo. Our ambition remains Vice President for Oil Products business receiving terminal utilising the existing is preparing to build a hub terminal that to handle ammonia, operate the terminal
the Finnish national distribution obliga- to utilise renewable hydrogen at the unit at Neste. infrastructure at its Tokuyama Complex will supply approximately 1-mtpa of effi ciently and expand demand. Taking
tion. These limitations prevent the full Porvoo refi nery, contributing also to in Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, ammonia to various industrial applications advantage of Namikata Terminal’s 40
economic utilisation of electrolyser of fulfi lment of the Finnish renewable Recently, Neste was granted an and aims to jointly introduce over such as electricity, transportation and years of experience as an energy hub,
this size,” it added. fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO) energy investment aid of €1.96-mn 1-mtpa of ammonia as fuel and raw chemicals by 2030. In April 2023, MC MC is working to develop ammonia so
distribution obligation. Together with for heat recovery from this hydrogen materials by 2030 in cooperation with and potential customers in the Shikoku that it can quickly respond to decarboni-
“While we are discontinuing the our partners, we continue the work to project. neighbouring companies in the Shunan and Chugoku regions agreed to establish zation demand in the region. Idemitsu
Industrial Complex. In February this ‘Council for utilising Namikata Terminal and MC both plan to supply low-carbon
EXPANSION year, the Tokuyama Complex conducted as a hub for introducing fuel ammonia,’ ammonia produced by this project to
Kumho Mitsui Chemicals begins operations at new a demonstration of ammonia combus- and have been discussing measures Japan through their receiving terminals.
tion in its naphtha cracking furnace
MDI plant in Korea currently in commercial use, the fi rst of Cornish Lithium opens UK’s fi rst low-emission
its kind in Japan, and in May, Agency
for Natural Resources and Energy, lithium plant
Kumho Mitsui Chemicals – a 50:50 demand growth for insulation materi- METI adopted the ‘Ammonia supply Cornish Lithium has opened “Our demonstration processing
joint venturea of Japan’s Mitsui Chemi- als,” the company informed. base in the Shunan region, pipeline the UK’s fi rst low-emission lithium plant allows us to test and confi rm the
cals and South Korea’s Kumho Petro- development in the region, and com- hydroxide demonstration plant as part viability of extracting lithium from
chemical – commenced operations late In addition to expanding its produc- bustion facility study project’ together of its Trelavour hard rock project in hard rock in Cornwall before scaling
September at its new production facili- tion facilities, Kumho Mitsui Chemi- with the three companies in Shunan Cornwall, England. The project aims up to full-size production,” Cornish
ties for methylene diphenyl diisocya- cals will install recycling facilities that Industrial Complex as part of the to produce 10-kt of battery-grade lith- Lithium said in a statement. The faci-
nate (MDI) in Yeosu, Jeonnam (South can reuse the by-products created dur- government’s ‘Hydrogen Supply Infra- ium hydroxide per year by 2027. When lity processes lithium-enriched granite,
Korea). ing the manufacturing process as raw structure Development Project’. combined with its geothermal lithium mined from a repurposed China Clay
materials. This will not only aid in signi- projects, the company plans to produce pit, to produce battery-grade lithium
With the addition of new facilities, fi cant cost rationalisation by improv- Partial conversion of LPG terminal a total of 25-kt per year of lithium car- hydroxide using low-carbon process-
the MDI production capacity will increased demand growth for high- ing self-suffi ciency for raw materials Meanwhile, diversifi ed conglome- bonate equivalent (LCE) by 2030. This ing technology – all on a single site.
increase from 410-ktpa to 610-ktpa. performance MDI – employed primarily but will also reduce wastewater emis- rate, MC, is assessing the partial con- would enable Cornish to supply around Cornish estimates that the facility will
in electric vehicles for the purposes of sions from the plant and greenhouse version of its LPG terminal (Namikata 25% of the lithium needed in the UK. contribute at least £800-mn ($1-bn)
“The newly implemented capacity noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) gas emissions from the overall supply Terminal) in Imabari City, Ehime Pre- Currently, Britain imports 100% of its in gross value added to the local
increase is intended to accommodate mitigation – as well as the existing chain. fecture, into an ammonia terminal. MC lithium. economy.

162 Chemical Weekly November 5, 2024 Chemical Weekly November 5, 2024 163

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