Technology company Powerhouse Energy Group announced today (22 February) that it had entered into a Framework Services Agreement with Petrofac Facilities Management Limited. Under the agreement Petrofac will provide engineering design and supply chain development services on Powerhouse Energy projects, including a waste plastics to hydrogen project proposed for the Protos site in Cheshire.
Project developer Peel NRE has also confirmed Petrofac as the preferred delivery partner for the proposed facility at the Protos Energy Park, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. Peel’s 54ha Protos site will have a range of other energy facilities including the traditional Biffa/Covanta/EQT energy from waste plant.
Powerhouse Energy itself has been revamped in recent months, with the appointment of new board members and a new strategic approach. This has included the appointment as acting chief executive of Keith Riley, who has substantial experience in waste management and is a former technical director of Veolia UK.
Powerhouse Energy chairman, Tony Gardner-Hillman Powerhouse chairman, said: “We are delighted to announce this agreement, in relation to which Powerhouse Energy will be working with Petrofac to complete the design engineering of PHE’s projects. Petrofac is a renowned operator with extensive expertise in the energy space and we look forward to a long and successful relationship.”
I think the way we have set up this agreement brings an exceptional partner on board
– Keith Riley, Powerhouse Energy chief executive
Mr Riley explained the thinking behind the agreement with Petrofac. He said: “The agreement allows the two companies to work closely together and brings, to our projects, a significant depth of knowledge and breadth of skills within Petrofac as well as its extensive experience in the market, particularly with the supply chain. I think the way we have set up this agreement brings an exceptional partner on board to take forward our projects that Powerhouse Energy has not had previously.”
Jon Carpenter, vice president, new energy services, Petrofac, commented: “We are thrilled to be selected as partner with PHE. We see gasification of waste as a key enabler for a net zero future. We look forward deploying our engineering, project delivery and operational experience to drive their projects to success.”
Working design
Over the past four years Powerhouse Energy has been working on bringing the concept of its Distributed Modular Generation – DMG – technology to a working design for the Protos plastics to hydrogen facility.
Earlier this year, Mr Riley said: “On any new strategic project, we will now require to have some level ownership in it. Our preference will be to work with partners, and we have already announced the intention to take a 50% shareholding in the Protos project with Peel, and at Konin in Poland with Hydrogen Utopia International.”
He added: “Plastics to hydrogen will remain a key part of what we do, but DMG Technology has many more applications and the intent is to make use of that.”
Hard plastics
It is expected that the Protos plastics to hydrogen plant will take in plastics after recyclables have been removed from the waste stream. The intention is to try and avoid plastic bottles because they can be recycled and instead focus on hard plastics which have a higher hydrogen content. Tonnages handled could be around 14,000 tonnes a year.
Such a facility could prove useful to energy from waste operators as they seek to reduce the plastic content of their residual waste stream.
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