Air Liquide and Vopak plan to collaborate on the development and operation of infrastructure for ammonia import, cracking, and hydrogen distribution in Singapore.
Under a memorandum of understanding, the two companies will study and explore the joint development of low carbon ammonia supply chains in Singapore, including the potential development of ammonia cracking facilities, associated ammonia storage and handling infrastructure at Vopak’s Banyan terminal, and the distribution of low-carbon hydrogen through a hydrogen pipeline network.
The collaboration aims to support Singapore’s National Hydrogen Strategy, focusing on driving advanced hydrogen technologies with high commercial readiness to establish low-carbon hydrogen supply chains, Vopak said in a news release Monday.
“Air Liquide is committed to partnering with industry partners, such as Vopak, to offer innovative and sustainable solutions in support of Singapore’s decarbonization efforts”, Zhang Xi, Southeast Asia Cluster Vice President and Managing Director of Air Liquide Singapore, said. “Air Liquide’s industrial scale ammonia (NH3) cracking pilot plant is under construction in Belgium. We are proud to apply our expertise to crack low carbon ammonia into low-carbon hydrogen, aimed at reducing carbon emissions in industrial basins and hard to abate sectors, advancing towards a more sustainable future”.
“Hydrogen and ammonia have the potential to significantly contribute to Singapore's transition towards a low-carbon economy”, Rob Boudestijn, President of Vopak Singapore, said. “As Singapore gears up for receiving and handling ammonia for power generation and bunkering, cracking of ammonia into hydrogen presents an additional application to help the industry shift to lower carbon feedstock. We are excited about collaborating with Air Liquide to accelerate the adoption and commercialization of industrial ammonia cracking in Singapore”.
Vopak’s Banyan Terminal is an integrated oil, chemical and gas hybrid storage terminal located on Jurong Island. The terminal has 112 tanks and a storage capacity of close to 53 million cubic feet (1.5 million cubic meters).
Biofuels Blending in Sebarok Terminal
In February, Vopak commissioned 1.4 million cubic feet (40,000 cubic meters) of capacity at its Sebarok terminal for blending biofuels into marine fuels, with the existing pipeline system converted to a dedicated biofuel blending service. The new capacity is underpinned by customer commitment, the company said in a separate news release.
Vopak's Sebarok terminal is located close to Singapore's eastern anchorage, where a large part of bunkering activity takes place. Part of the terminal was repurposed “in response to increasing demand for biofuel blending and storage solutions”, the company said.
Rob Boudestijn, Vopak President of Business Unit Singapore, said, "Our vision for Sebarok terminal is to be a sustainable multi-fuels hub to strengthen Singapore’s position as the top bunkering hub. As a storage and critical infrastructure services provider, this development can facilitate the entry of more biofuels companies to diversify the supply chain for marine biofuels and accelerate the decarbonization of the shipping industry”.
Vopak Terminals Singapore is a joint venture between Royal Vopak, with a 69.5 percent stake, and PSA International Pte Ltd, with a 30.5 percent stake. Vopak Terminals Singapore operates five terminals and provides storage, handling and transshipment solutions for the oil, gas and chemical industries.
Vopak said it is accelerating its global portfolio investments towards new energies and sustainable feedstocks for which it has allocated $1.09 billion (EUR 1 billion) in growth capital by 2030.
Air Liquide describes itself as a world leader in gases, technology services for industry and healthcare. It aims to develop solutions contributing to climate and the energy transition, particularly with hydrogen.
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