Revolutionising Liquid Hydrogen Infrastructure
Kawasaki Heavy Industries and CB&I partner to reduce costs and scale up liquid hydrogen infrastructure accelerating global adoption and addressing storage, and transport challenges towards a zero-carbon society.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) and McDermott-owned CB&I entered into a strategic collaboration aiming at reducing the cost and increasing the scalability of liquid hydrogen infrastructure. The partnership seeks to overcome barriers to the widespread adoption of liquid hydrogen as a pivotal component in the global transition to a zero-carbon society.
This joint effort aligns with KHI’s commitment to accelerating the global shift towards clean energy. Motohiko Nishimura, President of KHI’s Energy Solutions & Marine Engineering Company, said, “Our goal is to advance the liquid hydrogen supply chain and bring the world closer to achieving a zero-carbon society.”
CB&I, a global leader in terminal and storage construction, has already made strides in hydrogen storage, securing an Approval in Principle (AiP) from DNV, alongside Hanwha Ocean, for an 80,000 m³ liquid hydrogen carrier. Mark Butts, Senior Vice President of CB&I, emphasised the importance of the partnership: “This collaboration marks a significant advancement in liquid hydrogen storage capabilities, supporting the anticipated growth in global hydrogen trade.”
The inherent challenge of hydrogen’s low volumetric density has made it difficult to store and transport efficiently. However, both KHI and CB&I are committed to overcoming these challenges, leveraging their combined expertise to drive down costs and unlock the full potential of liquid hydrogen as a viable energy carrier.
Despite concerns over the high energy consumption required for hydrogen liquefaction, industry leaders remain optimistic. The LNG sector’s success offers a promising blueprint, as scaling up operations can significantly reduce energy costs. Speaking at the Oman Green Hydrogen Summit, Ellen Ruholas, Head of New Energy Projects at Zenith Energy, highlighted that larger-scale operations could cut energy usage for liquid hydrogen production, making it more competitive and sustainable.
KHI and CB&I’s collaboration represents a critical step in creating a robust, global liquid hydrogen infrastructure, further solidifying hydrogen’s role in the clean energy transition.
