What does the role of Chief Technology Officer consist of and why is it so important today?
Wei Cai (WC): The role of my office is to develop technology strategy and roadmaps to support the business growth and help our industry and our customers to reach their Net-Zero targets. This means assessing where we stand today and what needs to be done, what challenges need to be overcome, to reach Net-Zero by 2030. We are looking at technologies in their broadest sense, in the way they are designed and built, to allow our customers to manufacture their products in a low- to Net-Zero-carbon way.
We have four main approaches; designing plants to be more energy efficient through better selectivity or yield and thereby lowering the carbon footprint; applying technologies to capture and utilize carbon; bringing technologies to make biofuels and bio-based chemicals; as well as technologies that can affect the circularity around plastics recycling. But there is no one-size-fits-all solution. The choice of pathway depends on project specific criteria, such as suitable storage or associated use in the case of carbon capture; or the ability to get a high volume of renewable electricity to the plant gate for the electrolysis of green hydrogen.
Technip Energies is a leader in hydrogen technology. What role will hydrogen play in the energy transition?
WC: Hydrogen technology is very important and offers significant potential for decarbonizing certain industries. Two main pathways of decarbonizing hydrogen today is either by capturing CO2 from hydrogen production (blue hydrogen) or by using electricity from renewable sources (green hydrogen). Our blue hydrogen technology, BlueH2 by T.ENTM reduces carbon emissions by up to 99% and we are looking at multiple projects with this technology. We have an exclusive alliance with Shell CANSOLV® CO2 capture technology which is proven at industrial scale.
We are also committed to developing fully renewable green hydrogen and have a strategic partnership with McPhy, a leading manufacturer of electrolysis equipment to provide large-scale design solutions.
What steps are needed to achieve economies of scale?
WC: We need to see a significant scale up of blue and green hydrogen production to decarbonize industries. This means intensifying production to lower the cost and carbon footprint per unit and this is where Technip Energies has a lot of experience. Today, we are building the world s largest ethylene plants that are 10 times the size of what they were 30 years ago. Energy efficiency of these plants has improved by around 30% in the last 10-15 years. We are doing the same with LNG.
Another important aspect to scaling up involves discovering new fields of application. For example, our Hummingbird® technology, that converts ethanol to ethylene, is a key technology brick, to produce sustainable aviation fuel. Our catalyst demonstration unit at our Weymouth research facilities in Massachusetts, allows us to test potential feedstocks, and design specific plants around those feedstocks. This allows us to convert bioethanol from different sources into ethylene, which is an important step in sustainable chemical pathways to make bioplastics and bio-olefins.
How will digital technologies transform the energy industry?
WC: The digital transformation will allow many technologies to achieve their full potential. For example, our SPYRO® Asset Management solution is a software program that allows ethylene plant operators to continuously monitor operations and optimize plant settings. Digitalization provides intimate knowledge of the plant, it enables clients to predict yields based on certain feedstocks, anticipate maintenance, maximize product value, and minimize costs. The carbon footprint reduces as these plants are run more efficiently.
In parallel, all our new technologies will be Digital-by-design. That means delivering technologies with a fully digitalized platform, from the design and build of the plant. Going forward, as we bring in carbon capture, hydrogen or electrification, the digitalization aspect will become even more important, to control, monitor, and maximize carbon reductions across all scopes 1, 2 and 3.
What do you consider to be the key achievements of Technip Energies in 2021? And what are your expectations for 2022?
WC: We have sown some good seeds from a technology project perspective. Whether it s the decarbonization of LNG in Qatar, or the most energy efficient ethylene cracker in the UAE, from Net-Zero Teesside to the joint venture with IBM and Under Armour for chemical recycling, we have achieved a lot in a short period of time. If 2021 was about setting the foundations, 2022 will see a build-up in momentum.
The energy transition is bringing about a collective renaissance in the industry. Everyone is looking at the challenges and asking what can be done and how can we do it together. Partnerships are more important than ever, to build a more interactive approach to working together, to find the right solutions and make them work. It s a huge challenge, there s an urgency to move forward, and I think that s good for the industry.
45 in-house technologies
50 references for CO2 removal solutions
25+ leading proprietary technologies
Technip Energies Sustainability Report 2021 . 27