ABB’s automation, electrification and digital technology will be assessed for deployment at GHI’s Hydrogen City project. The Power-to-X facility will use solar and onshore wind energy to power a 2.2 GW electrolyser plant to produce 280 000 tpy of green hydrogen, which will be turned into 1 million tpy of green ammonia.
The project will utilise underground salt cavern storage, which is seen as an efficient way to store large volumes of hydrogen onshore. The planned storage of up to 24 000 t of green hydrogen will help balance out the intermittency of the renewable energy sources powering the operation and allow for a lower levelised cost of hydrogen.
A 120 km pipeline to the nearby Corpus Christi energy port, approximately 300 km southwest of Houston, will transport the green hydrogen to an ammonia production facility for conversion and subsequent global export to serve demand in Europe and Asia. GHI is also in discussions with potential off takers of green hydrogen as a feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and e-methane production.
ABB has already completed a feasibility study to develop an electrical system architecture that optimises return on investment for the project and supports compliance with EU legislation governing Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin (RFNBO) and the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). ABB plans to supply its Integrated Control Safety System with the distributed control system ABB Ability™ System 800xA® to improve efficiency, operator performance and asset utilisation. MoU scope also includes electrical motors and drives, measurement and analytics solutions, and power and process optimisation solutions.
“We are proud to collaborate with GHI on Hydrogen City, to explore how our automation, electrification and digital technology can support and scale this ambitious green hydrogen production facility,” said Brandon Spencer, President of ABB Energy Industries. “Together, we will enable efforts to decarbonise global industry and progress towards a net-zero future.”
Ammonia has the potential to support decarbonisation efforts as part of the energy transition through its use as an alternative fuel for heavy transport such as shipping, as well as its current major use in fertilizer production.
“GHI is honoured to be partnering with ABB on our Hydrogen City project,” sais Brian Maxwell, CEO of GHI. “Their expertise in power systems architecture, automation, electrical and digital systems provides enormous advantages for this complex project and supports our goal of producing the lowest-cost green hydrogen in South Texas.”
Construction is planned to start in 2026 with first production expected in 2030. Hydrogen City is being designed as a phased project, with plans to add additional trains of production as the market for green hydrogen develops.