Reportedly, German start-up Hydrogenious LOHC, Uniper, Jera Americas, and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) have signed a deal to transport hydrogen to Germany, from the UAE.
As part of the plan, the firms will undertake a joint demonstration project for the transportation of hydrogen, produced in the UAE using renewable energy, to Wilhelmshaven, in Germany, using Hydrogenious’ liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC) technology.
The deal is part of Germany’s strategy to reduce its dependence on Russian energy in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine.
The agreement was finalised during German Economy Minister Robert Habeck’s visit to the UAE.
Uniper chief commercial officer Niek den Hollander said: “Uniper is already actively involved in large scale hydrogen projects in the Middle East, with a view to exporting hydrogen to Europe and Asian markets.”
Under the joint study agreement, the partner companies will look to scale up existing LOHC technology to help meet the increased demand for hydrogen transportation globally.
Hydrogenious LOHC technology is designed to bond hydrogen molecules to a non-flammable liquid, making it suitable and safer for transportation and distribution.
Based on the carrier material benzyl toluene (BT), the LOHC technology provides a safe, low-cost means of bulk hydrogen storage and transportation
Uniper said that the storage within the BT will result in no hydrogen losses. This allows long storage durations and larger volumes of storage.