French energy firm TotalEnergies has cooperated with Tree Energy Solutions (TES) to produce e-natural gas (e-NG), a synthetic gas produced from renewable hydrogen and carbon dioxide, according to a statement by TotalEnergies on Thursday.
With the project, 100,000 to 200,000 metric tons of e-NG will be produced annually under the equal partnership of TotalEnergies and TES.
To produce e-NG, a 1-gigawatt (GW) electrolyzer is powered by approximately 2 GW of wind and solar energy supplied by TotalEnergies through long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs).
The produced renewable hydrogen is then combined with biogenic carbon dioxide to obtain e-NG.
The resulting e-NG can be transported and/or liquefied, then sold like natural gas using existing infrastructure, and end customers will be able to use it without any adaptation to their facilities.
‘This synthetic fuel will contribute to the energy transition by helping our customers decarbonize their activities, notably the ones that are difficult to electrify,’ Stephane Michel, the president of gas, renewables and power at TotalEnergies, was quoted as saying in the statement.
Explaining the advantages of e-NG, Michel said the product does not require any new logistical infrastructure since e-NG and natural gas have the same properties and can therefore be mixed into existing infrastructure.
He added that the customers will be able to use their current industrial processes.
TotalEnergies and TES will carry out preliminary studies to reach a final investment decision (FID) in 2024.
