TotalEnergies issues tender for 500k ton green hydrogen plant: French energy giant TotalEnergies is launching a green hydrogen tender to power six European refineries and two French biofuel plants with 500k tons of the low carbon fuel, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. Three of the refineries and the biofuel plants are in France, while the three other refineries are in Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands. “We need electrolyzers in massive quantities. This is also the purpose of this call for tenders: to give a boost to this sector,” Reuters said, citing company director of petrochemical refining in Europe Jean-Marc Durand. The plant is planned for completion by the end of the decade and is expected to avoid 5 mn tons of CO2 emissions, reducing the greenhouse gas released from its oil and gas operations by 40% by the end of the decade, compared to 2015. The call for tenders will also consider smaller local projects, the company added.

IN OTHER TOTALENERGIES NEWS- The French energy company signed an agreement with Air Liquide to supply the Gonfreville refining platform in the north of the country with up to 15k tons of low-carbon hydrogen, reducing CO2 emissions by 150k metric tons of CO2 emissions annually, Reuters reported on Thursday.

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OPEC Fund grants USD 150 mn for 8 sustainable development projects: The Opec Fund for International Development has approved more than USD 150 mn in new financing for projects in Benin, Guatemala, Liberia, Rwanda, Tajikistan, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Albania, according to a statement published on Thursday. The projects will support the development of infrastructure for a number of sectors including agriculture, water supply, and sanitation. Opec also approved the establishment of an Energy Access and Climate Action Trust Fund to scale-up financing for the energy transition in sub-Saharan Africa, with plans to expand to other developing regions in the future.

OTHER STORIES WORTH KNOWING ABOUT THIS MORNING-

• Petrobras ramps up wind projects: Brazil’s state-owned Petrobras will invest USD 26.8 mn in a 7 MW offshore wind turbine over the next two years and acquired a license from the Brazilian environmental protection agency to further develop 10 offshore wind projects amounting to 23 GW of capacity. (Reuters)
• A clean biomethane plant in the UK by AstraZeneca is happening: Pharma giant AstraZeneca has agreed to a 15-year partnership with Future Biogas to set up the UK’s first subsidy-free biomethane gas supply with a GBP 100 mn investment. (Statement)
• US to spend USD 1 bn on tree planting: The US has dedicated USD 1 bn to plant and maintain trees as part of a federal program including 385 projects that aims to reduce extreme heat. (The Guardian)
• Demand for labor for renewables in EU countries may quadruple by 2030: The EU may need 4x more blue and white collar labor for its wind and solar projects by 2030 with industries requiring 990k full time workers by the end of the decade, compared to 290k in 2020. Europe’s investments toward net zero could reach USD 1.81 tn by 2030. (The National)