Automation support for green hydrogen.

ABB is collaborating with Green Hydrogen International (GHI) on a project to develop a major green hydrogen facility in south Texas (USA). As part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) ABB’s automation, electrification and digital technology will be assessed for deployment at GHI’s Hydrogen 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 tons of green hydrogen per year, which will be turned into one million tons of green ammonia annually.

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

A 120-kilometer pipeline to the nearby Corpus Christi energy port, approximately 300 kilometers southwest of Houston, will transport the green hydrogen 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 hydrogen as a feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel and e-methane 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 US 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 Hydrogen City, to explore how our automation, electrification and digital technology can support and scale this ambitious green hydrogen 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 $0.3 billion in 2023, is set to reach $17.9 billion 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 Hydrogen City project,” says Brian Maxwell, CEO of GHI. “Their top-notch expertise in power systems architecture, automation, electrical and digital systems provides enormous advantages for this complex project and supports our goal of producing the lowest-cost green hydrogen in South Texas.”

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

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