Oman LNG, the majority Omani state-owned LNG company, has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Japanese energy firms to initiate an e-methane pilot project at its complex in Qalhat. The project aims to establish a demo facility near Oman LNG's liquefaction trains, with a production capacity of 1,200 Nm3/h (normal cubic meters per hour) of e-methane. The success of this pilot project is expected to open doors for the installation of methanation equipment at the Qalhat complex, enabling large-scale production of e-methane as a carbon-neutral renewable fuel gas, also known as Synthetic Methane or Synthetic Natural Gas.
This MoU, signed by Oman LNG in collaboration with Hitachi Zosen, a Japanese industrial and engineering corporation, and its subsidiary Hitachi Zosen Inova AG (HZI), focuses on decarbonizing Oman LNG's operations through the methanation process. The process involves capturing CO2 emitted from Oman LNG's operations and combining it with green hydrogen produced through water electrolysis to generate e-methane. This e-methane can be marketed as a renewable fuel source or injected into Oman LNG's liquefaction process to produce a more environmentally friendly version of LNG.
It is worth noting that this MoU is a result of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) signed between Oman's Ministry of Energy and Minerals and Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in December 2022. Both countries are committed to achieving their net-zero greenhouse gas emission targets by 2050 and have prioritized cooperation in carbon recycling, including hydrogen, ammonia, and methanation.
Hitachi Zosen Corporation stated that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is based on the existing Memorandum of Cooperation between the two countries. The main objective of the MoU is to implement methanation equipment in the LNG plants owned by Oman LNG and utilize the emitted CO2 as a valuable resource.
The corporation further explained that the MoU aims to assess the commercial potential of a small pilot plant, which will include methanation equipment and water-electrolysis equipment, among other components. This pilot plant will be located near the current LNG plant and will have the capacity to produce 1,200N㎥/h of e-methane.
Hitachi Zosen Group's extensive expertise in methanation, as well as their water electrolysis and water treatment technologies, will be utilized to produce the necessary hydrogen for the methanation process.
Importantly, the funding for the initial design of the pilot e-methane plant and the evaluation of its commercial viability will be provided through a grant from the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy. Hitachi Zosen highlighted that this funding falls under the Japanese government's 2024 Subsidy Programme, specifically allocated for "Oil Refining Technology Projects in Oil-Producing Countries." These projects aim to strengthen relations with resource-rich countries and ensure a stable supply of oil and natural gas.
