Clough inks hydrogen MoU in North America
Australian construction company Clough said May 11 it signed a preliminary agreement to build hydrogen processing plants in North America.
Clough entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Washington DC-based OP Cleantech, a clean energy advisory and development firm, to build and develop hydrogen gas processing and treatment facilities in North America.
“This MoU emphasises Clough’s full capabilities throughout the entire project lifecycle, including our deep roots in engineering and construction execution,” the company said. “This project, along with other recent awards, is delivering upon Clough’s growth strategy as a trusted engineering and construction partner in North America.”
Neither side offered specifics about target countries in North America.
On May 11, Canadian integrated oil and gas producer Suncor Energy and Alberta utility ATCO said they were in the early design and engineering stages for a project near Edmonton that would produce 300,000 mt/yr of blue hydrogen and reduce the province’s CO2 emissions by more than 2mn mt/yr.
In addition, Suncor said, the project would “significantly advance” Alberta’s hydrogen strategy, generate substantial economic activity and jobs across the province and make a sizeable contribution to Canada’s net-zero aspirations.
Canada, like many countries, has been pursuing the development of hydrogen as part of the global energy transition.
In the US, the Energy Department said May 12 that it awarded more than $6mn to eight universities to research hydrogen as a clean-burning fuel.
Eight universities will split the funding more or less evenly. Energy secretary Jennifer Granholm said the funding helps support US ambitions to catch up with the rest of the world on climate-friendly energy initiatives.
“Our economic competitors are getting serious about harnessing carbon emissions free power from hydrogen, and so the US must as well,” she said.