Automation company signs on to power up $10 billion hydrogen project in South Texas

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ABB plans to collaborate with Houston-based Green Hydrogen International on the Hydrogen City project. Photo via Getty Images

Electrification and automation company ABB, whose U.S. headquarters for its Energy Industries business is in Houston, has tentatively agreed to supply power for a $10 billion hydrogen project in South Texas.

Under a new memorandum of understanding, ABB plans to collaborate with Houston-based Green Hydrogen International on the Hydrogen City project. The first phase of the project is expected to generate 280,000 tons of green hydrogen per year. This green hydrogen will then be converted to one million tons of green ammonia each year.

“Together, we will enable efforts to decarbonize global industry and progress towards a net-zero future,” Brandon Spencer, president of ABB Energy Industries, says in a news release.

The memorandum of understanding calls for ABB’s technology to be assessed for delivery of solar and onshore wind energy to the 2.2-gigawatt electrolyzer facility at Hydrogen City.

The project will store up to 24,000 tons of green hydrogen in underground salt caverns. A 75-mile pipeline to the nearby Corpus Christi energy port will carry the green hydrogen to an ammonia production facility. At this facility, green hydrogen will be turned into green ammonia that’ll be shipped to Europe and Asia.

Green Hydrogen International is in talks with companies interested in using green hydrogen from Hydrogen City as feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel and e-methane.

Hydrogen City will serve a global green ammonia market whose value is projected to reach $17.9 billion by 2030. Construction on Hydrogen City is scheduled to start in 2026, with initial production set for 2030.

Green Hydrogen International unveiled the multiphase Hydrogen City project in 2022, saying it would be “the world’s largest green hydrogen production and storage hub.” At his month’s CERAWeek in Houston, officials provided an update on Hydrogen City.

“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,” ABB says in the news release.

Last October, Green Hydrogen International announced a Hydrogen City partnership with Japanese oil and gas giant Inpex, whose U.S. outpost is in Houston.

Here's what to attend at CERAWeek. Photo via CERAWeek.com

Things to know this week: Houstonian's guide to CERAWeek 2024

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Editor's note: Dive headfirst into the new week with things to catch up on in Houston's energy transition — a special CERAWeek 2024 edition. Check out these must-attend events at the conference, which is going on all week in Downtown Houston.

Monday, March 18, at 4:30 pm — IRA at One and a Half Years: What is the impact?

Billions of dollars have poured into the energy sector to spur investment and production of technology to fight climate change through the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) 18 months ago. Experts weigh in on the successes so far and any challenges and obstacles that have arisen.

Roman Kramarchuk, S&P Global Commodity Insights Head – Climate Markets and Policy Analytics
Jigar Shah, United States Department of Energy Director, Loan Programs Office
Kevin Gresham, RWE Senior Vice President, Government Relations & Regulatory Affairs
Steve Smith, National Grid Group Head of Strategy, Innovation and Market Analytics, National Grid | President, National Grid Partners

Tuesday, March 19, at 1 pm — Everything is Bigger in Texas: Building Hydrogen City

Announced in 2022, the largest green hydrogen production, storage and transport hub is being developed in South Texas. It will be powered by behind-the-meter solar and wind and the first phase is expected to produce 1/4 million tonnes of green hydrogen per year. The project developers will provide an update on the early stages of the project.

Toshiaki Takimoto, INPEX Corporation Director, Senior Managing Executive Officer, Corporate Strategy & Planning and Head of Net Zero Business
Kenneth Medlock, Rice University, Baker Institute Senior Director, Center for Energy Studies
Noah Feingold, S&P Global Consulting Associate Director
Brian Maxwell, Green Hydrogen International Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Wednesday, March 20, at 1 pm — Houston Energy Initiative Energy Venture Day and Pitch Competition

Join The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, the Houston Energy Transition Initiative and the Texas Entrepreneurship Exchange for Energy (TEX-E) for the third annual Energy Venture Day and Pitch Competition at CERAWeek. The pitch day will feature more than 40 energy ventures driving efficiency and advancements toward the energy transition. The fast-paced competition is designed to connect energy startups with venture capitalists, corporate innovation groups, industry leaders, academics and service providers.

Read more about the event here.

Thursday, March 21, at 1 pm — Luncheon & Dialogue with Bill Gates

Legendary Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who founded Breakthrough Energy and TerraPower, is headed to town for the 2024 CERAWeek. Gates will be featured in a luncheon fireside chat with S&P Global's Daniel Yergin.

HETI House

Drop by the Houston Energy Transition Initiative's HETI House at CERAWeek for a tour or one of the fireside chats.

Commercializing low carbon technology: unique partnerships between industry and academia

Woodside Energy + Rice University

Monday, March 18 | 2 p.m.

Tony Almond – VP of Technology & Innovation, Woodside Energy
Aditya Mohite – Associate Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; Associate Professor, Materials Science and Nanoengineering, Rice University

In 2024, Woodside Energy and Rice University in Houston announced a five-year technology collaboration aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and providing lower carbon solutions. Woodside will provide $12.5 million to fund the creation of the Woodside-Rice Decarbonization Accelerator, an initiative that aims to bring breakthrough decarbonization technology from the Rice labs to market, with a specific focus on manufacturing products derived from captured carbon dioxide and methane. Specifically, Rice hopes to leverage cold plasma technology, a unique approach to breaking down carbon dioxide. These products have potential applications to make better batteries, transistors, and other critical materials for energy technologies.

Investing in our academic institutions and talent in the energy capital of the world

Shell + University of Houston Energy Transition Institute

Tuesday, March 19 | 9:30 a.m.

Jenny Philip, Energy Transition U.S. Senior Advisor, Shell
Scott Nyquist, Energy Advisory Board, University of Houston. Vice-Chair, Houston Energy Transition Initiative, Greater Houston Partnership
Ramanan Krishnamoorti, Chief Energy Officer, University of Houston

Funded by Shell USA, Inc and Shell Global Solutions, US Inc, the University of Houston’s new Energy Transition Institute (ETI) empowers the next generation of energy leaders; develops and accelerates energy solutions, including hydrogen, carbon management and circular materials at scale; and informs policies to address our most pressing challenge to provide secure, reliable, affordable and sustainable energy for all. Learn more about how University of Houston’s ETI is driving research, innovation and workforce development to support the transition to a low-carbon, energy-abundant future.

How Houston Leads: Engaging Communities and Creating Opportunity in the Energy Transition

Calpine + Houston Energy Transition Initiative

Wednesday, March 20 | 10 a.m.

Brett Kerr, Vice President, External Affairs, Calpine
Jane Stricker, Houston Energy Transition Initiative + Greater Houston Partnership

Houston has long been regarded as the Energy Capital of the World. As the industry continues to innovate and deploy projects for an energy-abundant, low-carbon future, engaging communities and creating opportunity for all will be critical. In this session, Jane and Brett will discuss the engagement approaches leading energy companies are putting into practice to expand opportunity for all communities. Come learn about best practices, key challenges and new methods for building sustained relationships with communities.

Scaling carbon-neutral gasoline – feed to construction

HIF Global + Bechtel

Thursday, March 21 | 10 a.m.

Brooke Vandygriff, Chief Operations Officer, HIF USA
Rich Wall, Principal Vice President & General Manager Downstream, Chemicals & Advanced Fuels, Bechtel

HIF Global, the world’s leading eFuels company, has selected Bechtel Energy, Siemens Energy, and Topsoe to conduct the front-end engineering and design (“FEED”) of a facility to be constructed in Matagorda County, Texas, to produce carbon-neutral gasoline. When operational, the HIF Matagorda eFuels Facility will produce fuel that can be dropped-in to vehicles in use today without any modification to existing engines or the infrastructure on which they depend. Come hear more about this innovative technology and the Matagorda facility from Bechtel Energy and HIF Global.

24/7 carbon-free energy: from startup to scale in houston

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries + Fervo Energy

Thursday, March 21 | 2 p.m.

Tim Latimer, Chief Executive Officer, Fervo Energy
Takajiro Ishikawa, President & CEO, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) announced its investment in Fervo Energy (Fervo), an innovative enhanced geothermal technology startup headquartered in Houston, Texas. MHI joins a consortium of strategic investors, including Devon Energy Corporation (Devon), Marunouchi Innovation Partners (MIP). Over the last few years, Fervo has adapted innovations pioneered by the oil and gas industry, such as horizontal drilling and distributed fiber optic sensing, to make reservoirs of hot rock that exist beneath the earth’s surface into practical, economically viable, carbon-free sources of energy that can be used as heat sources both for industrial and power generation. Learn more about how this clean energy startup is commercializing solutions for the transitions by building relationships with world leading energy and technology companies.

Energy Tech Innovation Lounge (no badge required)

Houston Innovation Leaders and Founders is hosting a free Energy Tech Innovation Lounge that's open daily from 10 am to 5 pm at 808 Travis Street. Each day has programing and networking — click here to learn more.

INPEX Corp. and Green Hydrogen International have agreed to a Joint Study Agreement to advance a South Texas hydrogen production facility called "Hydrogen City." Photo via Getty Images

Japanese company opts into joint initiative for green hydrogen, ammonia project in South Texas

hydrogen city, Texas

An oil and gas exploration and production company has signed on to collaborate on a green hydrogen project in Texas to keep up with growing global market demand.

INPEX Corp. and Green Hydrogen International have agreed to a Joint Study Agreement to advance a South Texas hydrogen production facility called "Hydrogen City." The project's first phase will produce 280,000 tons per year of green hydrogen and 1 million tons per year of green ammonia. Construction is slated to begin in 2026 with commercial operation expected in 2029.

INPEX's "unparalleled expertise in large energy project development combined with a world-class marketing organization will provide enormous advantages to the Hydrogen City project and our goal of producing the world's lowest-cost green hydrogen by 2029," Brian Maxwell, CEO of GHI, says in a news release.

The partnership brings together both entities' expertise, with INPEX's experience developing large scale energy projects and marketing LNG to international customers. Meanwhile, GHI uses salt cavern storage and behind-the-meter renewable power to produce low-cost green hydrogen.

"I am excited to announce this green hydrogen project in Texas, which exemplifies our unwavering commitment to environmental leadership and innovation," INPEX Representative Director, President, and CEO Takayuki Ueda says in the release. "INPEX's dedication to a brighter, greener future remains steadfast, and this endeavor in Texas marks a pivotal step in our vision for a more sustainable tomorrow."

INPEX is also a part of a large-scale, low-carbon ammonia production and export project on the Houston Ship Channel that was anounced ealier this month.

Hydrogen City, located in South Texas atop the Peidras Pintas Salt Dome, was originally announced in March 2022. There will be a 75 mile pipeline from Hydrogen City to Corpus Christi, supplying a 1 Million Tonne Per Annum (MTPA) ammonia production facility and local off-takers.

Image via ghi-corp.com

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Global energy startup competition returns to Houston this fall

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The Society of Petroleum Engineers' Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) takes place in Houston this fall, and with it comes its ATCE Startup Village Energy Startup Competition.

Held this year at the George R. Brown Convention Center on Oct. 21, the fast-paced pitch competition invites early stage, upstream technology ventures from around the world to present on their companies and technologies in front of venture capitalists, angel investors and industry leaders.

The deadline to apply for the competition is Friday, July 18. Apply here.

The ATCE Startup Village is a partnership between SPE and the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship. Ten primary finalists and two alternates are selected to participate in the competition, where they have the opportunity to win cash prizes and gain mentorship from industry leaders.

Finalists will present a seven-minute pitch, followed by an additional seven minutes of Q&A.

They will also have the opportunity to meet with a panel of industry experts during a private coaching session the week of Sept. 22. Winners will be announced at ATCE in Houston, and finalists and alternates will be notified in late August.

Judging is based on four main criteria:

Innovative technology
Commercial strategy and business plan
Market potential
Management team and advisors

The competition has awarded nearly $460,000 in prize money to startups through the competition to date, according to the ATCE's website. Past winners have come from Canada, France, the Netherlands, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and the United States.

Several Houston teams pitched at the 2024 competition during the 100th annual ATCE in New Orleans. The local teams included:

Decimetrix, led by CEO Alejandro Zotti, went on to win the Best in Show and People's Choice awards. Revolink Technology Company earned the Rising Star, or runner up, award.

Tesla announces annual meeting under pressure from shareholders

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Tesla has scheduled an annual shareholder meeting for November, one day after it came under pressure from major shareholders to do so.

Billionaire Elon Musk's company said in a regulatory filing on Thursday that the meeting would be held Nov. 6, but that may prove troublesome because it comes nearly three months after it is required to do so under state law in Texas, where the company is incorporated.

The annual meeting, given Tesla's fortunes this year, has the potential to be a raucous event and it is unclear how investors will react to the delay, which is rare for any major U.S. corporation.

Tesla shares have plunged 27% this year, largely due to blowback over Musk's affiliation with President Donald Trump, as well as rising competition.

The announcement of the meeting comes a day after a group of more than 20 Tesla shareholders sent a letter to the company's board pressing for an annual meeting after receiving no word of one with the deadline just days away.

Many shareholders have been miffed by Musk's participation in the Trump administration this year, saying he needs to focus on his EV company which is facing extraordinary pressures.

“An annual meeting provides shareholders with the opportunity to hear directly from the board about these concerns, and to vote for or against directors, the board’s approach to executive compensation, and other matters of material importance,” the group said in the letter.

The group cited Texas law, which requires companies to schedule annual shareholders meetings within 13 months of the prior annual meeting.

Tesla’s last shareholders meeting was on June 13 of last year, where investors voted to restore Musk’s record $44.9 billion pay package that was thrown out by a Delaware judge earlier that year.

Also on Thursday, Musk that the Grok chatbot will be heading to Tesla vehicles.

“Grok is coming to Tesla vehicles very soon. Next week at the latest,” Musk said on social media platform X, in response to a post stating that Grok implementation on Teslas wasn't announced on a Grok livestream Wednesday.

Grok was developed by Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI and pitched as an alternative to “woke AI” interactions from rival chatbots like Google’s Gemini, or OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Shares of Tesla rose 3% at the opening bell after tumbling this week when the feud between Trump and Musk heated up again.

Greentown Labs names Lawson Gow as its new Houston leader

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Greentown Labs has named Lawson Gow as its Head of Houston.

Gow is the founder of The Cannon, a coworking space with seven locations in the Houston area, with additional partner spaces. He also recently served as managing partner at Houston-based investment and advisory firm Helium Capital. Gow is the son of David Gow, founder of Energy Capital's parent company, Gow Media.

According to Greentown, Gow will "enhance the founder experience, cultivate strategic partnerships, and accelerate climatetech solutions" in his new role.

“I couldn’t be more excited to join Greentown at this critical moment for the energy transition,” Gow said in a news release. “Greentown has a fantastic track record of supporting entrepreneurs in Houston, Boston, and beyond, and I am eager to keep advancing our mission in the energy transition capital of the world.”

Gow has also held analyst, strategy and advising roles since graduating from Rice University.

“We are thrilled to welcome Lawson to our leadership team,” Georgina Campbell Flatter, CEO of Greentown Labs, added in the release. “Lawson has spent his career building community and championing entrepreneurs, and we look forward to him deepening Greentown’s support of climate and energy startups as our Head of Houston.”

Gow is the latest addition to a series of new hires at Greentown Labs following a leadership shakeup.

Flatter was named as the organization's new CEO in February, replacing Kevin Dutt, Greentown’s interim CEO, who replaced Kevin Knobloch after he announced that he would step down in July 2024 after less than a year in the role.

Greentown also named Naheed Malik its new CFO in January.

Timmeko Moore Love was named the first Houston general manager and senior vice president of Greentown Labs. According to LinkedIn, she left the role in January.

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