Project builder Babcock & Wilcox joining with Fidelis on H2 production
Renewable energy firm Babcock & Wilcox Company (B&W) has formed an alliance with Texas-based Fidelis New Energy to produce hydrogen.
According to B&W, the FidelisH2 Alliance Program will allow for large-scale production of low or zero-carbon hydrogen from natural gas that meets the threshold for the $3-per-kilogram 45V hydrogen production tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.
The clean hydrogen will be produced using Fidelis’ proprietary patent-pending FidelisH2 technology and B&W’s bubbling fluidized bed boiler technology and equipment, the company adds.
“We are excited to deepen our partnership with Fidelis and join the FidelisH2 Alliance Program,” said Kenny Young, Chief Executive Officer, B&W. “Leveraging B&W’s advanced renewable energy equipment technology along with the novel FidelisH2 technology will enable the production of clean hydrogen with a lifecycle carbon intensity of net zero. This is a win-win for our companies, the environment and the United States’ and global clean energy goals.”
Hydrogen does not contain a carbon atom so does not emit CO2 when combusted. However, it is not easily found and must be produced by steam reforming of methane gas (which contains four H2 molecules) or by electrolysis which splits hydrogen out of water using electricity.
So-called “green hydrogen” is created via electrolyzers powered by carbon-free resources such as wind, solar, hydro or nuclear. “Blue” hydrogen can be created by the more carbon-intensive steam reforming, but then is paired with carbon capture and sequestration to clean up its emissions profile.
Fidelis Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Bengt Jarlsjo, added, “We look forward to deploying FidelisH2 across our future projects and providing the FidelisH2 Alliance Program offering to select licensees and partners seeking to produce zero carbon intensity clean hydrogen utilizing certified natural gas and renewable energy. We greatly appreciate B&W’s support and look forward to their contribution as a key component of the FidelisH2 Alliance Program.”
Headquartered in Akron, Ohio, Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises provides clean energy and environmental products and services for power and industrial markets worldwide.
Fidelis New Energy is an energy transition company headquartered in Houston, Texas, with offices in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Copenhagen, Denmark.
