Europe’s largest turquoise hydrogen plant begins operation in Finland — but H2 is not the main product

Finland's turquoise hydrogen demo plant starts production

Europe's largest plant producing turquoise hydrogen — hydrogen made by splitting natural gas at high temperatures using electricity — has begun operations in Finland. The plant, located at Neste's Porvoo oil refinery, is a joint venture between Neste, Fortum, and electrolyzer manufacturer John Cockerill.

The plant has a capacity of 0.5 megawatts (MW) and produced its first turquoise hydrogen in late June. The hydrogen will be used to produce synthetic diesel at Neste's nearby refinery.

What is turquoise hydrogen?

Turquoise hydrogen is a type of hydrogen that is produced by splitting natural gas at high temperatures using electricity. The process is called methane pyrolysis. The term turquoise hydrogen was coined by Hydrogen Europe, a trade association representing the European hydrogen industry.

The color turquoise was chosen to represent the process because it is the color of the flame produced when natural gas is burned. Turquoise hydrogen is also sometimes called blue hydrogen, although this term is more commonly used to refer to hydrogen produced from fossil fuels using carbon capture and storage (CCS).

The benefits of turquoise hydrogen

Turquoise hydrogen has several advantages over other methods of hydrogen production. First, it is more efficient than steam methane reforming (SMR), the traditional method of producing hydrogen from natural gas. SMR produces hydrogen by reacting natural gas with steam at high temperatures. The process is energy-intensive and produces significant amounts of carbon dioxide.

Second, turquoise hydrogen is more environmentally friendly than SMR. The process does not produce any carbon dioxide, making it a low-carbon alternative to SMR.

Third, turquoise hydrogen can be produced from a variety of feedstocks, including natural gas, biogas, and even coal. This makes it a more flexible option than SMR, which can only be produced from natural gas.

The challenges of turquoise hydrogen

The main challenge to the widespread adoption of turquoise hydrogen is the cost. The process is still relatively expensive, although costs are expected to come down as the technology matures.

Another challenge is the lack of infrastructure for transporting and storing hydrogen. However, this is also expected to improve as the hydrogen economy develops.

The future of turquoise hydrogen

Turquoise hydrogen is a promising new technology that has the potential to play a major role in the clean energy transition. The process is efficient, environmentally friendly, and can be produced from a variety of feedstocks.

As the technology matures and costs come down, turquoise hydrogen is expected to become a more competitive option for hydrogen production. This could lead to the widespread adoption of hydrogen as a clean fuel for transportation, power generation, and industrial processes.

Neste's turquoise hydrogen plant is not the only one in Europe

Neste's turquoise hydrogen plant is not the only one in Europe. In 2021, a consortium of companies led by Equinor opened a 0.3 MW turquoise hydrogen plant in Norway. The plant is using hydrogen to produce ammonia, which is used to make fertilizer.

In addition, several other companies are planning to build turquoise hydrogen plants in Europe. These plants are expected to come online in the coming years, which could significantly increase the production of turquoise hydrogen in Europe.

Turquoise hydrogen is not the main product of the Neste plant

It is important to note that turquoise hydrogen is not the main product of the Neste plant. The plant's primary product is synthetic diesel. The hydrogen is produced as a byproduct of the diesel production process.

This is because the process of producing synthetic diesel from natural gas also produces hydrogen. The hydrogen is then separated from the diesel and used to produce turquoise hydrogen.

The Neste plant is a demonstration project. The goal of the project is to prove the viability of the turquoise hydrogen production process. If the project is successful, Neste plans to build a larger turquoise hydrogen plant in the future.

Conclusion

The start-up of Neste's turquoise hydrogen plant is a significant milestone for the hydrogen industry. The plant is the largest of its kind in Europe and demonstrates the potential of turquoise hydrogen as a clean and efficient way to produce hydrogen.