Vopak And Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies Jointly Take Hydrogen Logistics To The Next Level

• Joint Venture company for hydrogen storage, transport and supply, based on Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies’ Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC) technology
• Financial commitment of both parties for build-up of industrial-scale LOHC plants in Germany/North-Rhine Westphalia (Chempark Dormagen) and Netherlands/Rotterdam (both in permitting and preparatory phase)

Vopak and Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies will incorporate an equal shared joint venture, named LOHC Logistix, for hydrogen storage, transport and supply based on Hydrogenious’ Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC) technology. This is one of the major steps both companies have agreed on recently to push LOHC market solutions and large-scale pilot projects forward.

Hydrogen is expected to play a dominant role in future energy systems. When it comes to handling the volatile hydrogen gas, the LOHC technology developed by Hydrogenious has a big potential to help speed up the development of an international hydrogen market. The LOHC pioneer from Germany uses the thermal oil benzyl toluene as liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC-BT), which is already well-established in the industry as a heat transfer medium and has ideal properties for safe handling in ports. Due to its characteristics as a flame retardant and non-explosive carrier with a high volumetric energy density, benzyl toluene can be handled like a fossil liquid fuel within existing infrastructure, tankers and vehicles at ambient pressure and temperature, making it a natural fit with current port infrastructure and fleet of vessels, railcars, and tank trucks. After the release of hydrogen (dehydrogenation), the LOHC can be reused to bind hydrogen many hundreds of times.

Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies has sold pilot-scale LOHC systems to partners in several countries like Finland, Germany and the US over the last years and has implemented the first full LOHC supply chain for hydrogen mobility this summer. Hydrogenious supplies the Hydrogen Refueling Station Erlangen in Germany via LOHC, which is a worldwide novelty.

The joint venture LOHC Logistix GmbH located in Germany will support both parties to facilitate their efforts to supply green hydrogen to off-takers, using LOHC based transportation via ship, train, tanker, etc. The incorporation of the joint venture is subject to customary closing conditions. For transportation and supply, it will purchase hydrogenation as well as dehydrogenation services from/at the respective LOHC plant operating companies and organize transport.

Moreover, the two partners committed themselves to accelerate the establishment of the LOHC storage plant planned at Chempark Dormagen (Germany/North-Rhine Westphalia), for which the kick-off has been given in 2021 (link), as well as a release plant in Rotterdam with a release capacity of 1.5 tonnes of hydrogen per day. The intention of both parties is to accelerate the scale up.

Vopak became involved as a strategic investor in Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies in 2019 (with a shareholding of around 10%). Today's announcement is connected with Hydrogenious' as well as Vopak’s first equal investment in the new joint venture and a convertible loan by Vopak to Hydrogenious which can be converted into an equity stake following future funding rounds by Hydrogenious in the upcoming years.