ABB is collaborating with Green Hydrogen International (GHI) on a project to develop a major green hydrogen facility in south Texas, U.S. As part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) ABB’s automation, electrification and digital technology will be assessed for deployment at GHI’s H₂ City project. The Power-to-X facility will use solar and onshore wind energy to power a 2.2-GW electrolyzer plant to produce 280,000 tpy of green H₂, which will be turned into 1 MMtpy of green ammonia.

The project will utilize underground salt cavern storage, which is seen as an efficient way to store large volumes of H₂ onshore. The planned storage of up to 24,000 tons of green H₂ will help balance out the intermittency of the renewable energy sources powering the operation and allow for a lower levelized cost of H₂.

A 120-kilometers (km) pipeline to the nearby Corpus Christi energy port, approximately 300 km southwest of Houston, will transport the green H₂ 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 H₂ as a feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel and eMethane production.

ABB has already completed a feasibility study to develop an electrical system architecture that optimizes return on investment for the project and supports compliance with EU legislation governing renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO) and the U.S. 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 utilization. MoU scope also includes electrical motors and drives, measurement and analytics solutions, and power and process optimization solutions.

“We are proud to collaborate with GHI on H₂ City, to explore how our automation, electrification and digital technology can support and scale this ambitious green H₂ production facility,” said Brandon Spencer, President of ABB Energy Industries. “Together, we will enable efforts to decarbonize global industry and progress towards a net-zero future.”

The global green ammonia market, valued at $300 MM in 2023, is set to reach $17.9 B in 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 72.9 percent. Ammonia has the potential to support decarbonization 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 honored to be partnering with ABB on our H₂ City project,” said Brian Maxwell, CEO of GHI. “Their top-notch expertise in power systems architecture, automation, electrical and digital systems provide enormous advantages for this complex project and supports our goal of producing the lowest-cost green H₂ in South Texas.”

Construction is planned to start in 2026 with the first production expected in 2030. H₂ City is being designed as a phased project, with plans to add additional trains of production as the market for green H₂ develops.