H2H Saltend project : Equinor awards FEED contract to Linde

Equinor has contracted Linde Engineering and BOC, both Linde companies, to advance the 600MW H2H Saltend low carbon hydrogen production project in the UK.

The Norwegian state-owned oil and gas company has awarded a front-end engineering design (FEED) contract to Linde Engineering, and an operation and maintenance service contract to BOC.

Under the contract, Linde Engineering will provide hydrogen and air separation technologies, which will be combined with UK-based Johnson Matthey’s LCH, for the H2H Saltend project.

BOC, on the other hand, will operate and maintain the H2H Saltend low carbon hydrogen production plant for the first five years, subject to engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) option being exercised.

Asbjørn Haugsgjerd — Equinor H2H Saltend Project Director said: “H2H Saltend is a vital first step in creating a low carbon hydrogen economy and achieving net zero in the Humber, safeguarding local industries and creating greater opportunities, whilst helping the UK to tackle climate change.

“With Linde Engineering, BOC and Johnson Matthey on board we are even better positioned to deliver this vision.”

Equinor awards FEED contract to Linde for the H2H Saltend project at the Saltend Chemicals Park in the UK. Photo courtesy of Equinor ASA.

The H2H Saltend low carbon hydrogen production plant with carbon capture is located at the energy intensive Saltend Chemicals Park, to the east of Hull, UK, and is part of Equinor’s larger ‘Hydrogen to Humber’ project.

Expected to be operational by 2027, the H2H Saltend project will reduce carbon emissions by replacing natural gas for various industrial facilities, including the Equinor and SSE Thermal’s on-site 1.2GW Saltend Power Station.

H2H Saltend plant is anticipated to help minimize the park’s emissions by a third and help Humber, which is currently the UK’s most carbon intensive industrial region, become net-zero by 2040.

The Hydrogen to Humber project aims to deliver 1.8GW of low carbon hydrogen production- approximately 20% of the UK’s national target – within the region.