It was recently announced that Spain’s Exolum has now started testing the storage and transport of green hydrogen at a commercial scale. The tests will be conducted on the existing natural gas infrastructure that is set up in the UK.

So far this process will involve 400 metres of LOHC that contains twenty tonnes of hydrogen being transported through a 1.5km pipeline. It is highly anticipated that using LOHC will make it possible to overcome the current challenges which are present within the hydrogen supply chain right now.

The pilot project, which is currently receiving support from the UK government with £505,000, is based at the Port of Immingham and the purpose of this project is to use liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHC) in order to transport and store the fuel, whilst keeping it in liquid form.

Along with support from the UK government, the Spanish oil firm has received further support from their part owner, CVC, as well as stakeholders such as Macquarie, OMERS and Credit Agricole.

It was in March that Exolum was able to secure most of their funding to make the demonstration project possible. The company has made it clear that they aim to be able to complete the project before the end of 2024.

Technology and Innovation Lead at Exolum, Felix Gomez, stated that the pilot would “highlight the potential of using existing energy infrastructure for new energy carriers.”

Gomez continued, “Exolum has one of the most efficient and modern logistics systems in the world, so its possibilities of use in the new energy transition scenario are highly realistic and have the potential to be game-changing.”