Exolum has initiated the world’s first project to transport and store green hydrogen on a commercial scale using existing oil infrastructure, facilitated by liquid organic hydrogen carriers. The project is being carried out in Immingham, the UK’s largest freight port, and marks a significant step forward in the sustainable energy sector.
LOHCs are organic compounds that safely store and release hydrogen through chemical reactions, enabling the liquid transportation of hydrogen. As one of the leading global liquid logistics companies, Exolum operates an extensive fuel pipeline and tank storage network in the UK, supplying fuel for around 40 percent of flights departing from the country each year.
Exolum aims to leverage its existing infrastructure to foster the rapid, efficient, and flexible growth of the hydrogen market. This innovative approach positions storage closer to high-demand areas such as ports and industrial zones, thus promoting strategic infrastructure placement.
Ignacio Casajús, Exolum’s Global strategy & growth lead, stated, “The pioneering project we have launched proposes a realistic, safe and cost-effective formula for distributing green hydrogen that aligns with existing demand. By using our highly efficient logistics network, we avoid the need for new infrastructure development. We are confident that this initiative will make a decisive contribution to the decarbonisation of the economy and support the diversification of alternative energy sources.”
LOHCs hold considerable potential for the selective, safe, and reliable transport and storage of hydrogen, paving the way for repurposing existing fossil fuel infrastructures.
A New Hydrogen Transport Model
This project has received financial backing from the UK government, with £505,000 provided through the Hydrogen Storage and Distribution Supply Chain Collaborative R&D programme managed by Innovate UK. The trial involves transporting 400 cubic metres of LOHC containing 20 tonnes of hydrogen along a 1.5 km pipeline connecting Exolum’s facilities in Immingham East and West in the Humber Region. Laboratory tests will ensure the LOHC maintains quality during the process. The transported hydrogen represents an amount sufficient to power a hydrogen-fuelled passenger vehicle for 2 million kilometres.
The demonstration will also include a comprehensive scientific analysis, evaluating the potential costs and benefits of converting, transporting, storing, and releasing hydrogen as LOHC. The findings of this study are set to be published in early 2025.
Strategic Importance for the UK’s Energy Future
Exolum projects that its UK facilities will be capable of distributing 4.6 TWh of hydrogen annually, meeting 30 percent of the total demand forecast by the UK government for 2030. This initiative aligns with the UK’s Clean Power Mission 2030 goals, which aim to replace current underground storage facilities with terminals at hydrogen consumption points.
Since beginning its operations in the UK in 2015, Exolum has become the only independent fuel storage and distribution provider via pipeline, managing 22 storage terminals with a combined capacity exceeding 2.4 million cubic metres. Beyond the Immingham project, Exolum is also developing a green hydrogen production plant and refuelling station under the Tees Valley Hydrogen Vehicle Ecosystem initiative, which includes the construction of a water electrolyser and refuelling infrastructure at the Exolum Riverside terminal in Stockton-on-Tees. The electrolyser, powered by renewable energy, will supply both the refuelling station, with a daily capacity of 1.5 tonnes, and regional customers through a ‘hub and spoke’ distribution model.
In Spain, Exolum has completed its first integrated green hydrogen production and dispensing plant in Madrid, serving heavy transport vehicles to support the decarbonisation of road logistics. The company is also involved in various projects that promote the use of existing infrastructure for new energy vectors, such as the Regenera and GreenH2Pipes consortia, focusing on renewable hydrogen storage and LOHC distribution technologies.
For more information visit www.exolum.com
