The Linde Group (Munich, Germany; www.linde.com) and refining company Neste Oil Oyj (Espoo, Finland; www.nesteoil.com) have agreed on a longterm onsite hydrogen supply contract. According to the agreement, Linde will build a new hydrogen production unit for Neste Oil’s Porvoo refinery near Helsinki, Finland. The total investment value from Linde and Neste Oil amounts to approximately €100 million.
Neste Oil’s Porvoo refinery already has two hydrogen production units with the older one now due for replacement by a more efficient unit. Linde’s Engineering Division will build the turnkey plant, while Linde’s North European subsidiary AGA will be responsible for the operation of the new unit, which is planned to come on stream in 2016. Neste Oil will build the piping between the new plant and the refinery.
The hydrogen will be produced from natural gas in a steam reforming process and it will be used at the Porvoo refinery in many processes and products. Hydrogen is used to produce, among other things, sulphur-free diesel fuel as well as high-quality base oils.
The new contract is an expansion of the two companies’ existing supply relationship at the Porvoo site. Linde already provides Neste Oil with air gases while obtaining in return off-gas CO2 for subsequent purification.