Page 10 - LatAmOil Week 42 2021

LatAmOil FRENCH GUIANA LatAmOil

HDF begins building new green

hydrogen complex in French Guiana

HYDROGENE de France Energy, known as hydrogen fuel cells. Both of these 1.5-MW pro-
HDF, has begun work on a green hydrogen pro- ton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells are
ject in French Guiana. based on the core FCgen-LCS stack technology
The company reported earlier this month developed by Ballard Power Systems of Canada.
that it had started constructing a green hydro- The total cost of the project has been esti-
gen complex along the lines of its proprietary mated at $200mn. HDF recently finalised
Renewstable design. The complex, which will arrangements with Meridiam, a Paris-based
be known as Centrale Electrique de l’Ouest infrastructure fund, and SARA, the unit of
Guyanais (CEOG), will consist of a 16-MW France’s Rubis Group that operates a 17,000 bar-
solar park, a water electrolysis plant, a long-term rel per day (bpd) oil refinery in Martinique, for
storage unit for hydrogen, two 1.5-MW fuel cell financing construction of the complex.
systems and short-term storage unit for lithi- Additionally, HDF has already arranged to
um-ion batteries. supply electricity produced by the green hydro-
Together, these facilities will have a “fixed gen complex to the local transmission grid. It
and guaranteed” generating capacity of 10 MW signed a 25-year power purchase agreement
between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., dropping to (PPA) with grid operator EDF, another French
3 MW between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m., HDF company, in late September.
stated. The project is expected to help improve
The solar park will generate electricity for power supplies in French Guiana while facili-
the CEOG complex’s electrolysis plant, which is tating the creation of a hydrogen economy. ™
slated to turn out 860 tonnes per year (tpy) of
green hydrogen. In turn, hydrogen production
will be pressurised and stored in tanks pending
transfer to the fuel cells, which will be able to
generate electricity and steam.
HDF has contracted Siemens Energy, a unit
of the German conglomerate Siemens, to build
the complex under an engineering, procure-
ment and construction (EPC) contract. The
electrolysis facility will include an Augmented
McLyzer high-power electrolyser platform sup-
plied by McPhy, a French company that designs
and manufactures high-pressure alkaline elec-
trolysers. This platform will be the first outdoor
version of a McPhy electrolyser platform.
For its part, HDF will supply the two Rendering of CEOG complex in French Guiana (Image: HDF )

VENEZUEL A
Japanese consortium sells 5% stake

in Venezuela’s Carabobo Project 3

A consortium formed by three Japanese com- The group, known as Japan Carabobo, con-
panies has sold its 5% stake in Venezuela’s Car- sists of Mitsubishi and Japan Oil, Gas and Metals
abobo Project 3. National Corp. (JOGMEC), as well as Inpex. Its
Inpex, one of the consortium’s members, has subsidiary Japan Carabobo UK (JCUK) said last
said that the sale will allow it to quit the South week that it had submitted a notification of with-
American country. drawal from the project.

P10 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 42 21•October•2021