Exolum has started the world’s first project to transport and store green H₂ on a commercial scale in existing oil infrastructure using liquid organic H₂ carriers (LOHCs). Led by Exolum, it is being carried out in Immingham, the UK’s largest freight port.

LOHCs are organic compounds that can absorb and release H₂ through chemical reactions and can therefore be used as a safe means of storing and transporting H₂ in liquid form. Exolum is one of the world’s largest liquid logistics companies with a major fuel pipeline and tank storage network in the UK. It delivers fuel to airports for around four out of every ten flights taking off from the UK each year.

Exolum sees the project enabling the utilization of its existing infrastructure to accelerate a speedier, more flexible and more efficient growth of the H₂ market. This approach will allow a more targeted approach to the development of H₂ infrastructure, ensuring that storage is located in areas closer to the points of expected demand, such as ports or industrial areas.

According to Ignacio Casajús, Exolum’s Global Strategy & Growth Lead, “The pioneering project we have launched proposes a realistic, safe and cheap formula for distributing green H₂ that is in line with existing demand. In this way, we avoid developing new infrastructure by using our logistics network, one of the most efficient in the world. We are convinced that this initiative will make a decisive contribution to the decarbonization of the economy and the diversification of alternative energy sources.”

The potential of LOHCs to selectively, safely and reliably transport and store H₂ is enormous. This project can open the door to the reuse of existing fossil fuel infrastructures.

A new transport model for H₂. The project has received funding from the UK government, which has provided £505,000 as part of the H₂ Storage and Distribution Supply Chain Collaborative R&D program run by Innovate UK. The trial will transport 400 cubic meters of LOHC containing 20 tons of H₂ through a 1.5 km long pipeline connecting Exolum’s facilities at Immingham East and Immingham West in the Humber Region. Laboratory tests will be carried out to confirm that LOHC quality is maintained in this process. The H₂ transported is equivalent to the consumption of a H₂-powered passenger car travelling 2 million kilometers.

This demonstration will also include a scientific study of the potential costs and benefits of converting, transporting, storing and releasing H₂ as LOHC, to be published in early 2025.

Exolum estimates that its facilities in the UK will be able to distribute 4.6 TWh of H₂ per year, 30% of the total demand forecast by the UK government for 2030. This project will contribute to the objectives of the UK government’s Clean Power Mission 2030 by replacing the current underground storage facilities with terminals at the points of consumption of this gas.

Exolum, which began operating in the United Kingdom in 2015, is the only independent provider for the storage and distribution of fuels via pipeline and has 22 storage terminals with more than 2.4 million cubic meters of capacity. In addition to this project, the company is developing a green H₂ production plant and refueling station as part of the Tees Valley H₂ Vehicle Ecosystem project, which also includes the construction of a water electrolyzer and H₂ refueling station at the Exolum Riverside terminal in Stockton-on-Tees. The electrolyzer will produce green H₂ using electricity from renewable sources and will supply both the planned refueling station, with a capacity of 1.5 tpd, and other customers in the region through the ‘hub and spoke’ distribution model.