Port Of Corpus Christi Heads Into Carbon Capture

The Port of Corpus Christi Authority announced August 12 that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Howard Midstream Energy Partners LLC to convert Howard’s Javelina refinery services facility into the region’s first carbon-neutral hydrogen production facility.

Howard’s Javelina facility connects to six local refineries. Javelina controls approximately 60 million cubic feet per day of hydrogen production through a combination of hydrogen entrained in the refineries’ waste gas that the facility processes, and hydrogen produced through a steam methane reformer process. This hydrogen is currently sold back to refineries and other industries where it is used to remove impurities like sulfur during the refining process. The Port of Corpus Christi and Howard ultimately hope to scale hydrogen production for exports to overseas demand centers.

“With this exciting project and progressive partnership with the Port of Corpus Christi, we are demonstrating yet again our commitment to delivering clean, reliable energy that powers communities and business around the world,” said Mike Howard, HEP chairman and CEO.

Hydrogen is a flexible energy carrier with high energy density. It has many of the same applications as traditional fossil fuels, yet produces no carbon emissions. It can be combusted directly or used in fuel cells and offers the most viable path to reducing emissions in the steel, cement and shipping industries. Hydrogen atoms can be separated from water or from natural gas, the latter of which is in abundance at the Port of Corpus Christi due to direct connections to the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale production fields.

According to the MOU, Howard intends to capture its carbon emissions at Javelina, avoiding atmospheric release, which contributes to global warming. The parties will collaborate to identify uses for the residual CO2 as well as capture and storage options.