Keppel, Pan-United to collaborate on CCUS, hydrogen development with energy and infrastructure firms

The parties say CO2 sequestered in concrete has the potential to lower the embodied carbon of buildings where concrete is used.

Mainboard-listed Keppel Corporation Bn4 and Pan-United Corporation have joined Chevron Singapore, Surbana Jurong, Air Liquide Singapore, Osaka Gas Singapore and Pavilion Energy in signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to collaborate on “lower-carbon opportunities” like hydrogen and carbon capture.

Collectively known as the Low Carbon Technology Industry Consortium (LCT-IC), the parties aim to accelerate the development of “cost-effective” carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technology, as well as the supply chain and infrastructure surrounding hydrogen power.

“This is with the aim of commercialising new, lower-carbon technology pathways in Singapore,” reads a Jan 11 statement.

This is an extension of a previous MOU signed in July 2020, which aimed to accelerate the development of “integrated and energy-efficient CCUS systems”.

The latest MOU welcomes Air Liquide Singapore, Osaka Gas Singapore and Pavilion Energy as new members to the LCT-IC. Pavilion Energy is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Temasek.

Since the earlier MOU, the parties have collaborated with the National University of Singapore (NUS) to propose solutions to combat rising seawater levels as part of a Marine Climate Change Science grant call.

Chevron and Surbana Jurong also partnered with NUS and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) on developing and validating novel hollow fibre membranes for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture, a project awarded under the Low Carbon Energy Research (LCER) Grant Call.

With regards to CCUS, the parties are currently exploring opportunities around CO2 mineralisation for use within the building and construction sector. According to them, CO2 sequestered in concrete has the potential to lower the embodied carbon of buildings and other structures where concrete is used.

Consortium members are expected to be involved at various points within this value chain to jointly study feedstock availability, potential market demand within Singapore and new product qualification requirements, they add. “This could be followed by a techno-economic analysis and product life-cycle assessment.”

Frederick Chew, chief executive officer of A*STAR and guest-of-honour at the MOU signing, says such efforts will contribute towards achieving Singapore’s net-zero targets. “It is heartening to see the scope of this collaboration being broadened, as innovation through R&D will be crucial in tackling common problem statements and barriers to adoption.”

Law Tat Win, Chevron Singapore country chairman, says partnerships are critical to advance energy transition.

Speaking on behalf of the LCT-IC, Law adds: “This MOU includes partners from diverse industries but with a shared goal of promoting a vibrant ecosystem that enables technological advancements to thrive and create scalable and affordable lower carbon value chains that industry will adopt. LCT-IC industry partners and I are excited with what this next phase of collaboration may bring, as we transition towards a lower carbon energy future.”

CCUS challenges

While still a nascent sector, CCUS technology has been touted as a potential method to remove carbon emissions from the atmosphere.

However, critics believe oil majors are hawking the tech as a licence to continue their pollutive operations.

Darren Woods, CEO of Exxon Mobil, attended the COP28 climate conference in Dubai last December. In an interview with the Financial Times on Dec 2, Woods said the discussions had “put way too much emphasis on getting rid of fossil fuels, oil and gas, and not… on dealing with the emissions associated with them”.

“The transition is not limited to just wind, solar and EVs,” said Woods. “Carbon capture is going to play a role. We’re good at that. We know how to do it; we can contribute. Hydrogen will play a role. Biofuels will play a role.”

CCUS plans include pumping carbon dioxide into deep, porous rocks and even sucking CO2 out of the open air. For now, however, they remain expensive and are nearly impossible to scale.

Some 40 large-scale carbon capture projects are operational today, capturing roughly 45 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). That might not dent global warming, as it represents just 0.1% of the world’s emissions.

The fossil fuel industry must commit to “genuinely” helping the world meet its energy needs and climate goals, said IEA executive director Fatih Birol before the summit, “which means letting go of the illusion that implausibly large amounts of carbon capture are the solution”.

Photo: Low Carbon Technology Industry Consortium (LCT-IC)

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