TotalEnergies and Air Liquide boost Grandpuits transition

Under the terms of a long-term contract, Air Liquide will invest over EUR 130 million in the construction and operation of a new unit producing hydrogen that TotalEnergies will purchase for the needs of its platform,

Use biogas and carbon capture

The unit will partly use biogas from the biorefinery built by TotalEnergies and will be delivered with Air Liquide’s carbon capture technology “Cryocap”.

According to a statement, these innovations will prevent emissions of up to 150 000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) per annum compared to current processes.

TotalEnergies’ biorefinery will use the unit’s hydrogen to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

This innovative project is characterized by the combination of several solutions in order to produce renewable and low-carbon hydrogen, and contribute to the decarbonization of TotalEnergies’ Grandpuits site. It also provides the opportunity to recycle CO₂ as part of a circular economy approach while securing its supply for agri-food applications, said Pascal Vinet, SVP and Member of the Executive Committee, Air Liquide, in charge of Europe Industries activities.

In line with the two companies’ shared ambition to get to net zero by 2050, the project includes sustainable and circular innovations.

The new hydrogen production unit has the capacity to produce over 20 000 tonnes of hydrogen per annum.

It will produce hydrogen that is partially renewable, thanks to the recycling of residual biogas from the Grandpuits biorefinery, in place of the fossil gas that is normally used.

By recycling the biogas produced by the biorefinery into renewable hydrogen, this innovative project makes full use of the conversion of the Grandpuits refinery into a zero crude platform harnessing the potential of biomass, especially in the production of sustainable aviation fuel, said Bernard Pinatel, President, Refining & Chemicals, TotalEnergies.

The unit will be delivered with a carbon capture technology, allowing it to help reduce the platform’s carbon footprint, by capturing over 110 000 tonnes of CO₂ annually for reuse in food and industrial applications.

Combined with the production of low carbon hydrogen and the capture of CO₂, this project contributes to TotalEnergies’ ambition to decarbonize all of the hydrogen used by its European refineries by 2030, Bernard Pinatel said.

Most of the unit’s renewable, low-carbon hydrogen will be used by the biorefinery itself, to produce SAF, but it could also be used to support sustainable mobility in the Ile-de-France region.

This project illustrates Air Liquide’s expertise in working with its customers on customized solutions to help them reduce their carbon footprint and actively participate in the fight against global warming. It provides yet another example of the key role that hydrogen will play to succeed in the energy transition, Pascal Vinet said.

Operational by 2025

First commissioned in 1966, Total’s Grandpuits-Bailly-Carrois refinery was for a long time the only refinery in the Paris region.

In September 2020, TotalEnergies launched a project to convert the site, in line with its strategy to become carbon neutral by 2050.

This zero-crude project, with a total investment of more than EUR 500 million, is based on the development of several future-oriented activities in the field of biomass, renewable energies, and the circular economy. These include:

• chemical recycling of plastic waste;
• production of bio-sourced and biodegradable bioplastics;
• production of SAF for the aviation sector;
• construction of a solar farm and electricity storage by batteries.

All units are expected to be operational by 2025.