Technip Energies to supply hydrogen unit to bp SAF project

Technip Energies on Aug. 29 announced it has been awarded a contract to supply a hydrogen production unit to bp’s proposed sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel conversion project at its Kwinana refinery in Western Australia.

According to bp, the refinery was established in 1955 and operated as a fuel refinery until early 2021. Subject to necessary internal and government approvals, bp plans to convert the facility into a biorefinery, with startup currently planned for 2026.

Technip Energies said its contract for the Kwinana project covers engineering, procurement and fabrication (EPF) of a modularized hydrogen production unit with a capacity of 33,000 normal cubic meters per hour, using Technip Energies’ SMR propriety technology. Hydrogen is used in the process to convert renewable feedstocks into SAF and renewable diesel. The unit will be capable of producing hydrogen from either natural gas or biogas produced by the Kwinana biorefinery.

Technip Energies also noted that the project plans to integrate with the site’s existing import terminal operations and plans for green hydrogen production, which are currently being assessed.

“We are pleased to build on our global leadership in the delivery of hydrogen production units to support bp’s expansion of its biofuels and sustainable aviation fuel businesses,” said Loic Chapuis, senior vice president of gas and low-carbon energies at Technip Energies. “By leveraging our expertise in modularization and proprietary hydrogen technology, we are committed to making this project an industrial success.”

The Kwinana project is one of five biofuel production projects bp plans to develop globally. The other four projects include Cherry Point refinery in Blaine, Washington; Rotterdam II refinery in Rotterdam, Netherlands; Lingen refinery in Lower Saxony, Germany; and Castellón de la Plana refinery in Castellón, Spain. Bp has selected Honeywell’s Ecofining technology to produce SAF at the five sites.