【全球动态】液化空气集团(Air Liquide)获得6920万美元贷款，将于今年在中国建设蓝色氢气工厂，以此取代煤制氢

法国工业气体公司液化空气集团从法国巴黎银行获得了5亿元人民币(6920万美元)的贷款，用于在中国上海化学工业园区建设两个蓝色氢设施。

液化空气集团位于上海化工园区 的子公司 工业气体(SCIPIG)计划在今年年底前建成这些装置，这些装置的产生氢气的能力将达到每小时7万正常立方米(约6.2吨)。

该项目是利用化石天然气通过蒸汽甲烷重整(SMR)来生产氢气，并同时捕捉过滤产生的一定比例的碳，它也将取代目前为该园区供应的第三方煤气化装置。

中国目前约70%的氢气来自煤炭气化，这是碳密度最高的制氢方法，每生产一公斤氢气排放22-26公斤二氧化碳当量。

上海的设施将把捕获的二氧化碳转化为工业用的一氧化碳。

液化空气集团已经与工业园内的其他公司——科思创和上海联恒异氰酸酯有限公司(由西方化学品生产商巴斯夫和亨斯迈领导的合资企业)签订了超过15年的氢气和一氧化碳承购协议。

液化空气集团估计，该项目将耗资超过2亿欧元(2.24亿美元)，每年将减少35万吨二氧化碳排放量。

法国巴黎银行的融资是根据欧盟-中国共同基础分类法提供的绿色贷款，该分类法将氢气生命周期的排放门槛设定为 每生产一吨氢气相当于产生 3吨二氧化碳的量。

由于SMR的不衰退性，其每产生1千克的氢气将直接排放9千克的二氧化碳，这将要求这些装置需要捕获至少三分之二的二氧化碳。其次，其上游所供应的甲烷造成的排放，使得温室气体的总体水平可能会更高。

Hydrogen Insight已经联系了液化空气集团，以确认将在上海建造的SMR装置的预期捕集率。

Nikola awarded $41.9m to construct six hydrogen refuelling stations

Air Liquide secures $69.2m loan to build blue hydrogen plants in China this year, replacing coal-derived H2

Project will process captured CO2 into carbon monoxide for use in Shanghai Chemical Industry Park

French industrial gases firm Air Liquide has secured a 500m yuan ($69.2m) loan from French bank BNP Paribas for the construction of two blue hydrogen facilities in the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park in China.

Air Liquide’s subsidiary, Shanghai Chemical Industry Park Industrial Gases (SCIPIG), plans to build the units by the end of this year, which will have a combined H2 production capacity of 70,000 normal cubic metres (approximately 6.2 tonnes) per hour.

While the project will use fossil gas to produce hydrogen via steam methane reforming (SMR), while capturing an unspecified proportion of the carbon produced, it will also replace a third-party coal gasification unit that currently supplies the park.

China currently produces around 70% of its H2 from coal gasification, which is the most carbon-intensive hydrogen production method, emitting 22-26kg of CO2-equivalent per kilo of H2 produced.

The Shanghai facilities will turn the captured carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide for industrial use.

Air Liquide already has offtake agreements in place for both hydrogen and carbon monoxide lasting more than 15 years with fellow companies in the industry park — Covestro and Shanghai Lianheng Isocyanate Company (a joint venture led by Western chemical producers BASF and Huntsman).

Air Liquide estimates that the project will cost more than €200m ($224m) to build and abate 350,000 tonnes of annual CO2 emissions.

The finance from BNP was provided as a green loan aligned with the EU-China Common Ground Taxonomy, which sets a lifecycle emissions threshold of three tonnes of CO2-equivalent per tonne of hydrogen produced.

Since unabated SMR directly emits 9kgCO2/kgH2, this would require the units to capture at least two thirds of that carbon dioxide — and the overall level of greenhouse gases will likely be higher due to upstream emissions from methane supply.

Hydrogen Insight has reached out to Air Liquide to confirm the expected capture rate of the SMR units to be built in Shanghai.

SCIPIG is required to regularly monitor the plant’s environmental impact and annually report back to the bank on avoided greenhouse gas emissions and H2 production.

“This green loan is a recognition of Air Liquide’s ability to uphold projects abiding by the highest environmental standards,” said the company’s chief financial officer Jérôme Pelletan.

“It also illustrates our historical pioneering spirit in sustainable financing as this is the first green loan to support low-carbon hydrogen production in alignment with the new China-EU Common Ground Taxonomy.”