Hydrogen
Overview
Hydrogen is an increasingly important piece in the decarbonisation puzzle. Industrial players are seeking ways to take carbon emissions out of their hydrogen production processes, while green hydrogen producers see the gas as a viable outright alternative to hydrocarbons.
Future production routes range from methane reformation with carbon capture to pyrolysis, waste gasification and electrolysis, powered by renewable energy or fossil fuels. Combinations of processes and energy being used to produce hydrogen presents existing users of industrial heat and key chemicals a challenging landscape to navigate.
The Argus Hydrogen and Future Fuels service has been designed to provide industrial power, chemicals and energy users with crucial information to help them make well informed decisions. It covers the upstream for projects, midstream for transportation and storage, and downstream for ammonia and methanol. It also covers the latest technological developments and policy news on hydrogen from across the globe.
Latest hydrogen news
Browse the latest market moving news on the global hydrogen industry.
BGE gets licence for H2 project in Brazil’s northeast
BGE gets licence for H2 project in Brazil’s northeast
Paris, 23 April (Argus) — A large-scale renewable hydrogen and ammonia project in Brazil's Rio Grande do Norte state has received environmental licensing, Brazil Green Energy (BGE) chief executive Fernando Vilela told Argus . BGE will produce about 80,000 t/yr of renewable hydrogen to make nearly 440,000 t/yr of ammonia in a project in Areia Branca, Vilela said. BGE plans to start exports to Europe from 2030, and in a second phase, the company plans produce urea to supply the domestic market. The project will have a 500MW electrolyser, which will primarily use wind and solar energy from a 1.7GW installation, also developed by BGE, that is already licensed. The electrolyser will also take some hydropower through a power purchase agreement in the early years of operation to help reduce costs, Vilela said. BGE has started the process for the hydrogen plant installation licence, which could be approved still in 2026, allowing the company to start groundwork, Vilela said. The company is now progressing with the financing structure of the project. Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts are carried out by Andritz for the electrolysis plant, Thyssenkrupp Uhde for the ammonia plant, and Siemens for power and transmission. Germany's DB is logistics partner for distribution to offtakers in Europe, Vilela said. BGE initially considered developing the project in the Pecem complex, in northeastern state of Ceara, but opted for Areia Branca because of grid bottlenecks concerns in the Pecem area, Vilela said. The hydrogen and ammonia facilities will now sit next to the planned power generation assets. BGE also has plans to develop an ammonia export terminal in Areia Branca, which will possibly be available to other ammonia producers in the future. Total investment in the project, including power generation and the ammonia terminal, is around €2bn, Vilela said. BGE is owned by renewables company Maturati . By Pamela Machado Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Japan's Shikoku exits clean power auction on NH3 lack
Japan's Shikoku exits clean power auction on NH3 lack
Tokyo, 23 April (Argus) — Japanese power utility Shikoku Electric Power decided to withdraw from the country's clean power auction because it failed to procure ammonia for co-firing at its 500MW Saijo No.1 coal-fired power generation unit in Ehime prefecture. Shikoku had planned to upgrade its Saijo No.1 unit and begin 20pc ammonia co-firing from the April 2030-March 2031 fiscal year, following a successful bid in the 2025 clean power auction . The auction aims to spur investment in clean power sources by securing funding for fixed costs in advance to drive the country's decarbonisation by 2050. But Shikoku decided to exit the auction because it does not expect to procure fuel ammonia as planned, the firm said on 23 April. Shikoku did not disclose details of its original plan, including the supply source and procurement schedule. But the utility partnered with domestic trading house Mitsubishi, refiner Taiyo Oil, car maker Mazda and industrial gas supplier Nippon Sanso in April 2023 to explore handling 1mn t/yr of ammonia at Namikata terminal in Ehime. And Mitsubishi agreed to purchase blue ammonia from ExxonMobil's Baytown project in Texas in the US. But ExxonMobil has suspended its plans to build the production facilities because of weaker than expected demand. Shikoku will continue to explore ammonia co-firing at its Saijo No.1 unit. The utility declined to disclose further details, including potential fuel sources and a renewed schedule. The company is unsure if it will join the auction again after securing an ammonia supply. By Nanami Oki Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
EU confirms early green H2 rules review, e-fuel support
EU confirms early green H2 rules review, e-fuel support
London, 22 April (Argus) — The European Commission has confirmed plans to "propose a targeted review" of the EU's renewable hydrogen production rules in the second quarter and to step up support for synthetic aviation (e-SAF) and marine fuels (e-SMF). The announcement came in the AccelerateEU – Energy Union communication published on 22 April . The review will come ahead of the next scheduled assessment of the rules, due by July 2028. Industry participants and EU member states have long pushed for looser rules on additionality and temporal matching under the renewable fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO) delegated act , with calls for extensions until 2035. The final text differs from a leaked draft by adding that the review will be "safeguarding existing investments". The review will support industrial decarbonisation and accelerate the development of e-SAF and e-SMF, the commission said. The commission will also "further clarify" methodologies for using renewable hydrogen and biomass together as feedstocks for e-SAF production, while maintaining "ambitious sustainability criteria, including additionality, accurate lifecycle emissions accounting and the avoidance of double counting". The commission is weighing greater support for SAF through the ETS "in terms of volume and duration", and will explore "an analogous mechanism" for EU-produced SMF. It will continue to back the Early Movers Coalition in organising the announced €2bn ($2.35bn) double-sided e-SAF auction and "encourage further participation by member states". The text also reaffirmed plans to launch a consultation by 30 June on a draft methodology for "alternative approaches" to recognising nuclear electricity in hydrogen and derivative production. This was already set out when the commission in 2025 finalised the low-carbon hydrogen delegated act, which does not include a specific pathway for nuclear-based power purchase agreements. A final assessment is due by 1 July 2028, although the exact timeline remains unclear. Hydrogen and derivative projects may also benefit from the wider ETS review. The commission plans to scale up clean energy financing through the €100bn Industrial Decarbonisation Bank , funded by 400mn ETS allowances, and will introduce an "investment booster" aimed at energy-intensive industries. By Chingis Idrissov Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Allied Biofuels advances Uzbekistan SAF, e-SAF project
Allied Biofuels advances Uzbekistan SAF, e-SAF project
London, 10 April (Argus) — Australian developer Allied Biofuels has signed a binding "project implementation agreement" with the Khorezm regional government in Uzbekistan to develop a $6.08bn complex with a combined 417,400 t/yr sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production capacity. The agreement is backed by a presidential decree granting the project special economic zone status as well as tax and customs exemptions. The total estimated capital cost has risen from a previously stated $5.5bn. Allied Biofuels will invest the $6.08bn over five years. The firm said in October 2025 that it expects a final investment decision in the fourth quarter of 2026. The plant will produce 160,400 t/yr of bio-SAF, 257,000 t/yr of synthetic e-SAF and 5,040 t/yr of renewable diesel, powered by 4.45GW of renewable generation capacity with 1.6 GWh of battery storage. Allied Biofuels plans a hybrid biogenic and synthetic production complex using sorghum as the primary feedstock. The sorghum will be converted to first-generation bioethanol, which will then be processed into SAF via the ethanol-to-jet pathway. Total agricultural feedstock consumption is estimated at around 5,775 t/d. The firm signed a preliminary agreement with Indian engineering firm Praj Industries in November 2025 to supply its ethanol production technology, targeting 293,700 t/yr of ethanol output. The complex will also capture biogenic CO2 from the same ethanol plant and gasify biomass residues into syngas, combining these with renewable hydrogen from electrolysers to produce e-SAF, likely via the Fischer-Tropsch route. Allied Biofuels signed a binding deal with US firm Plug Power to supply 2GW of electrolysers, which was raised to 2.4GW. Sister firm Allied Green Ammonia is developing a renewable ammonia project in Australia, also using Plug electrolysers. By Chingis Idrissov Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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