Participating in the latest ADIPEC Energy Dialogue, Mario Mehren, CEO of Wintershall DEA, stated that the more realistic approach is needed towards exploring the potential of blue hydrogen as a major component of decarbonising energy
Mehren added that the dogmatic debate around green hydrogen, generated by renewable energy sources and ‘blue’ hydrogen, for which carbon emissions are captured and stored, or reused, threatens to delay the world’s transition to a sustainable energy future.
According to Mehren, the conflict between supporters of green hydrogen and those who advocate blue hydrogen is slowing investment in the hydrogen technologies required to rapidly reduce carbon emissions from industry and heavy transport.
Urging greater realism on what can be achieved with green hydrogen, as opposed to blue hydrogen, and in what time scale, Mehren commented, “Hydrogen is going to play a major role in achieving carbon free energy and as long as hydrogen is carbon free, we shouldn’t care whether it is so called green hydrogen, or blue hydrogen, or turquoise hydrogen.”
“Hydrogen produced solely from renewables requires massive investment, not only in money but also in land and wind and solar infrastructure. Blue hydrogen is the most cost effective option that we have. It is also the one option where we have sufficient capacity. So I think it would be a shame if we don’t make use of the infrastructure and the energy source we have.”
With hydrogen mainly produced industrially from natural gas, Mehren further stated that the oil and gas industry has a responsibility to ensure the blue hydrogen option stays on the table by investing in technologies to decarbonise natural gas, including carbon capture, utilisation and storage and by supporting the creation of a hydrogen market, both of which form major parts of Wintershall DEA’s energy transition strategy.
ADIPEC Energy Dialogues: Future trajectories on energy supply and demand
The ADIPEC Energy Dialogues is a series of online thought leadership discussions created by dmg events, organisers of the annual Abu Dhabi International Exhibition and Conference. Featuring major stakeholders and decision-makers in the oil and gas industry, this week’s dialogue was hosted by Jason Bordoff, founding director, Center on Global Energy Policy and Professor of Professional Practice International Affairs, Columbia University. The dialogues focus on perspectives surrounding critical industry themes such as future trajectories on energy supply and demand, business resilience through technology and innovation, geopolitics of energy and the proactive environmental social governance, people and talent agenda.
With this year’s in person ADIPEC exhibition and conference postponed to November 2021, the ADIPEC Energy Dialogue, along with insightful online webinars and podcasts and continue to connect the oil and gas industry, with the challenges and opportunities shaping energy markets in the run up to, and following, a planned four-day live stream virtual ADIPEC technical and strategic conference taking place from 9-12 November 2020.
The online conference is set to bring together energy leaders, ministers and global oil and gas CEOs as well as technical engineers from around the world to assess the collective measures the industry needs to put in place to fast-track recovery of the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors.
