The energy engineering firm claimed optimising the existing production base was as critical as building new capacity, with today’s hydrogen capacity accounting for 2.5% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and demand set to grow.

In the Re-inventing Affordable Low-Carbon Hydrogen whitepaper, hosted on h2-view.com, Technip said process intensification, hydrogen firing, and carbon capture retrofits could future-proof existing assets.

The measures are expected to cut emissions, improve efficiency and unlock additional output.

Process intensification focuses on squeezing more hydrogen from the same feedstock while cutting CO2 intensity, delivering up to “30% additional hydrogen capacity” or “20% lower emissions.”

Hydrogen firing replaces part of the traditional fuel mix with hydrogen, cutting both carbon and NOx emissions while helping plants meet stricter air quality standards.

“Since hydrogen firing extends beyond the production unit’s battery limit, full integration with the industrial plant can optimise synergies in production and firing demand, advancing industry decarbonisation efforts,” it reads.

Implementing pre-combustion and post-combustion carbon capture technologies offers pathways to remove up to 99% of emissions when combined with hydrogen firing.

Technip Energies points to its design of more than 50 syngas plants with pre-combustion capture systems as evidence of the technology’s maturity and cost-effectiveness.

The company also underscored affordability, arguing that economies of scale, modular construction and digital lifecycle optimisation are key to delivering cost-competitive low-carbon hydrogen.

With more than 275 hydrogen plants delivered globally, Technip Energies says it is well placed to help operators decarbonise without stranding existing assets.

Read the full whitepaper here.