French supermajor Total SE is partnering with German engineering firm Siemens AG to explore ways to lower carbon emissions at liquefied natural gas (LNG) sites.
Total said Tuesday it had signed a technical collaboration agreement with the Siemens Energy subsidiary to study “sustainable solutions” for carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction, with a focus on LNG facilities and associated power generation.
“This collaboration with Siemens Energy, a major player in the energy technology sector, brings many opportunities to further reduce the carbon footprint of our activities, especially in our strategic LNG business,” said Total’s Arnaud Breuillac, president of Exploration & Production. “The development of low-carbon LNG will contribute to meet the growth in global energy demand whilst reducing the carbon intensity of the energy products consumed. Reducing its carbon footprint is essential for LNG to play its role fully in the energy transition.”
Total and Siemens plan to collaborate on industrial-stage solutions such as combustion of hydrogen in gas turbines, all-electrical liquefaction facilities, power generation and integrating renewable energy in liquefaction plant power systems. Total aims to have 50 million metric tons/year of LNG in its global portfolio by 2025.
Siemens Energy’s Thorbjörn Fors, executive vice president of the Industrial Applications Division, said the collaboration would cover both brownfield and greenfield LNG projects.
The deal comes as LNG suppliers are under pressure to find ways to lower the CO2 emissions associated with their products. Baker Hughes Co. CEO Lorenzo Simonelli said in January he saw a huge opportunity in carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) to provide lower-emission LNG equipment. Meanwhile, Chart Industries Inc. last year expanded its reach into carbon capture for LNG producers.
The partnership between Total and Siemens follows an agreement last June to explore possible liquefaction and power generation plant designs to help decarbonize LNG production.