Japanese bank Mizuho boosts support for H2, ammonia
Japanese bank Mizuho Financial aims to provide ¥2 trillion ($12.8bn) in financial support for domestic and overseas cleaner fuel projects by 2030 to support Japan's plan to build a hydrogen supply chain.
Private-sector Mizuho is offering financing to low-carbon hydrogen, ammonia and e-methane projects related to production, import, distribution and development of hydrogen carriers. Mizuho said it has in the past offered project financing for large-scale overseas low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia manufacturing projects, as well as transition loans.
Japan is focusing on cleaner fuel use in the power sector and hard-to-abate industries, as part of its drive to reach net zero CO2 emissions by 2050. Japanese firms are getting involved in overseas hydrogen projects because domestic production is bound to be comparatively small and costly. They are looking to co-fire ammonia at coal-fired power generation plants to cut CO2 emissions and examining use of the fuel as a hydrogen carrier. Japanese companies have also partnered with several overseas firms on e-methane.
Mizuho has to date offered $1bn for cleaner fuel projects. The bank has set a goal to accelerate the setting up of a clean fuel supply chain by addressing the financial challenge faced by projects requiring large investments.
Mizuho has attempted to help Japan's decarbonisation push by tightening biomass and coal financing policies.
Mizuho has also stopped investing in new coal-fired power projects, including existing plant expansions. The bank has a plan to reduce the ¥300bn credit available for coal-fired power development projects by half by the April 2030-March 2031 fiscal year and to zero by 2040-41.
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AW Shipping’s VLACs join newbuild order book
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Singapore, 12 June (Argus) — AW Shipping, a joint venture between Abu Dhabi's state-owned Adnoc and Chinese petrochemical producer Wanhua Chemical, has ordered up to four Very Large Ammonia Carrier (VLAC) newbuilds. AW Shipping ordered up to four 93,000m³ VLACs from China's Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai. The deal was for two firm and two optional VLACs, with prices estimated at around $120mn each, according to sales and purchase and newbuild vessel sources. AW Shipping has yet to respond to Argus to confirm the prices. It added five very large gas carriers to its fleet at the end of last year. The 86,000m³ newbuilds — Al Ain , Zakher , Rabdan , Al Salam and Baynounah — were built by Jiangnan and are equipped with dual-fuel engines that can run on LPG, which will be used as the primary fuel, as well as standard bunker fuels, the company said. Ammonia carrier demand is increasing as it gains traction in the energy and agricultural sectors and plays a part in decarbonisation efforts. It is becoming more popular because of its low-carbon qualities, which make it a desirable option for use in power plants and as an alternative fuel in the maritime sector. Ammonia is also extensively used in the production of fertilizer. But development of a VLAC market could be delayed by a lack of terminal infrastructure to allow discharge of 40,000-60,000t cargoes, said Steem1960 ammonia shipbroker Lisa Maria Assmann at the Argus Clean Ammonia conference in Tokyo in May. Around 40 VLACs are scheduled to hit the water between 2026-28, when an uptake in clean ammonia trade is likely to be pushed by public tenders from South Korea and Japan. "VLACs cannot discharge these large volumes using the existing infrastructure," Assmann said. "We have storages that are much smaller than that, terminals with draft issues, LOA (length overall) issues. With all these problems, I do not see these large volumes being discharged in a speedy manner in the short term, not before 2035-40 at least." By Sean Zhuang Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Australia’s Queensland to pump $17bn into renewables
Australia’s Queensland to pump $17bn into renewables
Sydney, 12 June (Argus) — Australia's Queensland has allocated new spending on energy projects, including pumped hydropower and transmission schemes, as part of its state budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year to 30 June. The state government, currently led by the Labor party, will spend A$26bn ($17bn) during the next four years as part of its Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan to wean the coal-dependent state off thermal power sources, budget papers published on 11 June said. An initial A$8.686bn will be delivered in 2024-25 by state government-owned energy businesses including projects for renewables, grid-scale batteries, gas, pumped hydropower, energy storage and the state's planned transmission SuperGrid . The SuperGrid, Copperstring transmission project in the state's northwest and renewable energy zone infrastructure will receive A$8.5bn over the next four years. Another A$16.5bn goes to renewable energy and storage projects, including the planned Borumba and Burdekin-Pioneer pumped hydropower energy storage . Some A$500mn will be spent on distribution network storage, including a local network battery plan, with A$192mn going to transmission grid operator Powerlink's planned training centres in Townsville and Gladstone cities. Another A$4mn will go to an assessment of potential sources of naturally occurring hydrogen in the state, which is also aiming to develop a green hydrogen sector . Queensland is aiming to end its state-owned power utilities' reliance on coal-fired electricity by 2035 . The government this year set emissions reduction targets of 30pc below 2005 levels by 2030, 75pc by 2035 and zero by 2050 under theClean Economy Jobs Act, as national debate continues about Australia's intermediate targets under the UN's Paris climate accord. Queenslanders on 26 October get to choose a government for the next four years, although energy policy is unlikely to figure in the election campaign. The centre-right Liberal-National opposition backed Labor's legislated emissions reduction goals, for which there is no penalty in case of a failure to meet targets. By Tom Major Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Canada makes 3 additions to critical minerals list
Canada makes 3 additions to critical minerals list
Houston, 10 June (Argus) — High-purity iron, phosphorus, and silicon metal were added by the Canadian government to the country's critical minerals list. In an analysis of the 2021 list and possible additions, the update kept all 31 minerals from the original list and added high-purity iron, phosphorous, and silicon metal. High-purity iron ore is used in "green" or low-carbon steel. Phosphorus is a fertilizer and can also be used in Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) batteries. Silicon metal is used to manufacture chips and semiconductors. Canada reviews minerals recognized as critical every three years with its first list published in 2021. The list is intended to guide public policy and signal government priorities, according to the government. By Alise Pruitt Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
EU parliament to favour e-fuels, hydrogen: EPP lawmaker
EU parliament to favour e-fuels, hydrogen: EPP lawmaker
Brussels, 10 June (Argus) — EU parliament to favour e-fuels, hydrogen: EPP lawmaker The new EU parliament will be more pragmatic in 2024-2029, favour continuation of the internal combustion engine (ICE) beyond 2035 as well as more flexible rules for low-carbon hydrogen, e-fuels, biofuels, and other CO2-neutral fuels, outgoing member of the European Parliament Markus Pieper told Argus . The centre-right European People's Party (EPP) MEP was the key lawmaker behind the EU's revised renewable energy directive. Will the next parliament favour renewable liquid fuels in spite of provisions for an ICE phase-out? For me, the end of the internal combustion engine (ICE) has not been decided yet. The next European Parliament will likely have a majority supporting the continuation of ICE beyond 2035. This would provide planning security for investments in innovation and facilities for e-fuels, biofuels, and other CO2-neutral fuels, including power-to-x (P2X) fuels. Instead of an outright ban on combustion engines, there should be a phase-out of fossil fuels, enabling us to achieve climate targets more quickly and cost-effectively, without overloading power grids. We need to start working on a clear legal framework today. The blending of new fuels must be standardised and regulated. Do you see the EU parliament favouring greater flexibility in the conditions for renewable hydrogen? Yes, we have a review clause in the renewable energy directive, whereby the European Commission shall submit a report to council [of ministers] and parliament by 1 July 2028. If this assessment indicates that we cannot achieve targets for green hydrogen in industry due to a lack of supply, then we must adjust the definition of green hydrogen. If we do not adapt, the industry may relocate to regions with fewer environmental regulations. We need to be flexible in our legislation and ready to adjust rules due to worldwide competition. How can a new EU parliament improve on existing legislation for 2030 climate and energy goals? The magic word is technological openness. We need to get the best out of all energy resources. Additionally, we need to invest significantly more in the energy transition, especially in the expansion of cross-border green electricity projects. The new European Parliament will likely be more pragmatic and realistic in its energy goals. Does the EU need to rethink the 2040 goals? There's no need to rethink the 2040 CO2 reduction target of 90pc [compared with 1990 levels]. But we need to rethink how to achieve goals and keep a close eye on China and India. Europe must constantly redefine and adapt legislation as necessary. One crucial step is reaching new trade arrangements [to balance higher EU climate standards for domestic industry than global competitors]. We have to be more realistic. Do you think EU 2030 targets for hydrogen are too ambitious? Yes, the target for green hydrogen to represent 42pc of hydrogen used by industry in 2030 is too ambitious from today's point of view. And I currently don't see the capacity to produce enough hydrogen in Europe. As for imports, non-EU producers often do not meet the same standards for producing green hydrogen. This means we'll need to adapt our definition of green hydrogen and consider more low-carbon solutions. The Paris Climate Agreement remains our primary goal. If we can achieve these goals with low-carbon hydrogen, why not? Still, it remains possible to meet the 2030 green hydrogen targets if we adapt the definition. By Dafydd ab Iago Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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