Together with seven large companies, TotalEnergies is setting up a coalition to support the consumption and production of e-natural gas (e-NG).
Unlike conventional natural gas, which is extracted from gas fields, e-NG is synthetically produced from carbon dioxide and hydrogen.
When the hydrogen is produced using renewable energy and the carbon dioxide is captured from the atmosphere, it contains the potential to have much lower lifecycle carbon emissions.
Moreover, it is chemically identical to natural gas, so it can be liquefied, transported and used in the same ways as natural gas. This means that companies can use it in their existing infrastructure without any modifications, making it a particular interesting option for their decarbonisation efforts.
TotalEnergies, which makes Total lubricant and coolant products, already has considerable experience with renewable power and liquefied natural gas. Its president for gas, power and renewables, Stéphane Michel, said that TotalEnergies was also pioneering e-NG at its Live Oak project. He added that:
“…it is important for us to contribute to the establishment of a global coalition for the development of e-NG. This synthetic fuel will contribute to the energy transition by facilitating the decarbonisation of certain industrial activities, while making use of existing downstream infrastructures.”
Alongside Tree Energy Solutions, TotalEnergies is looking at producing 100,000–200,000 tons of e-NG at the Live Oak e-NG project in the United States. The new e-NG coalition believes this synthetic fuel will play a role in the energy transition and is seeking to develop a global market for it.
