ExxonMobil, Air Liquide to work together on hydrogen project

ExxonMobil Corp. has partnered with Air Liquide to support production of hydrogen and ammonia at its 561,000-b/d integrated refining and petrochemical complex in Baytown, Tex.

The agreement will enable transportation of low-carbon hydrogen through Air Liquide’s existing pipeline network. Additionally, Air Liquide plans to invest up to $850 million to build, own, and operate four large modular air (LMA) separation units as well as related infrastructure to supply 9,000 tonnes/day of oxygen and up to 6,500 tonnes/day of nitrogen to the plant as part of the framework of the long-term binding agreement. The LMAs will primarily use low-carbon electricity to reduce the project’s carbon footprint, ExxonMobil said in a release June 24.

For Air Liquide, the deal is set to increase its oxygen production capacity by 50% in Texas, the company said in a separate release. In addition to primarily serving ExxonMobil with oxygen and nitrogen, the move would also supply “significant” volumes of argon and rare gases such as krypton and xenon for other Air Liquide customers in the market, the company continued.

If completed, ExxonMobil’s planned hydrogen production plant could potentially produce 1 bcfd of low-carbon hydrogen and more than 1 million tonnes/year of ammonia while capturing more than 98% of the associated CO2 emissions, the company said.

The operator unveiled its plans to decarbonize certain segments of the Baytown complex in March 2022, including the addition of a hydrogen production plant and carbon capture and storage (CCS) project. Partial funding could come from the federal government as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act (OGJ Online, Mar. 3, 2022; Mar. 26, 2024).

A final investment decision is subject to supportive government policy, necessary regulatory permits and market conditions, ExxonMobil said.