November 22, 2023
BY Erin Voegele
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.
Advertisement
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.”
Advertisement
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.
Valero Energy Corp. on Jan. 30 released Q4 financial results, reporting that both its ethanol and renewable diesel segments were profitable during the period. The company also announced that its SAF project in Texas is fully operational.
Legislation introduced in the Kansas legislature on Jan. 15 aims to create a 5-cent-per-gallon tax credit to support the sale of higher ethanol blends, such as E15. Lawmakers are also being asked to consider a similar incentive for biobased diesel.
Calumet on Jan. 28 announced disbursement of the first tranche of its $1.44 billion U.S. DOEloan guarantee to support the expansion of SAF production at its Montana Renewables facility will be delayed to allow review by the Trump administration.
DHL Express has signed a deal with Cosmo Oil Marketing Co. Ltd. for the purchase of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to drive emission-reduced air freight in Japan. The deal represents an annual purchase of 7.2 million liters of SAF.
CPM|Crown has announced the launch of its Lifecycle360 support services, which are designed to help companies streamline and optimize the full lifecycle of their facilities, from pre-engineering to long-term maintenance needs.