France-based Genvia has announced a number of pilot projects with industry leaders to accelerate the decarbonisation of sectors including cement.
Genvia – the clean hydrogen technology joint venture of energy technology provider Schlumberger – says the agreements will enable it to scale up the next generation of electrolyser technology. This technology has been developed over two decades of R&D at the CEA (the French Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission).
The electrolyser technology is designed to produce clean hydrogen without CO2 emissions, accelerating the decarbonisation of multiple industrial sectors.
Genvia will operate the cement pilot project with cement production group Vicat and Hynamics, a low-carbon and renewable hydrogen solutions subsidiary of the EDF group, in addition to EDF’s research operation. The project will be focused on the optimisation of Genvia’s technology for industrial applications, demonstrated in the cement sector.
During an official visit to the Schlumberger and Genvia facility on November 16, French President Emmanuel Macron praised the joint public-private partnership and reiterated his commitment and ambition for the hydrogen economy. Leveraging Schlumberger’s industrialization expertise and global footprint, these new agreements will set the stage for developing the entire value chain to use hydrogen as the preferred clean energy carrier.
“The agreements are important steps in accelerating the deployment of Genvia technology that will support the future hydrogen economy,” said Ashok Belani, executive vice president at Schlumberger New Energy. “As a scalable, carbon-free energy carrier, clean hydrogen will play a critical role in meeting global energy transition and net-zero ambitions. Genvia will accelerate the large-scale adoption of clean hydrogen through its demonstrator projects in different industries.”
Genvia’s pilot projects will focus on efficiency, performance and decarbonisation of industrial processes for the steel and cement industries, as follows:
Genvia and ArcelorMittal Méditerranée, a subsidiary of ArcelorMittal, a leader in the steel industry, have agreed a pilot project to substitute current hydrogen use, and support the decarbonisation of high-performance electric steel production required for the electric vehicle industry.
Genvia and Ugitech, part of Swiss Steel Group, a leader in long stainless-steel products, have agreed a pilot project to demonstrate both the technical relevance of hydrogen as a clean fuel for a reheating furnace that can replace natural gas, and the economic efficiency of Genvia’s technology.
Genvia says its technology aims to achieve the highest system efficiency, resulting in significantly less electricity use per kilogram of hydrogen produced. The projects are expected to produce hydrogen in amounts ranging from 200kg to 600kg per day.
