The Floating Data Centre Park, under development by Keppel and Royal Vopak, is designed to assess the commercial viability of establishing LNG and possibly hydrogen infrastructure for power plants. The huge data centre will be situated at the 32 hectares offshore supply base at Loyang, Singapore.
Aspiring to partly fuel the data centre by hydrogen, MHI and Keppel are exploring the onsite production of hydrogen through the process of steam methane reforming (SMR), and the subsequent use of the fuel in trigeneration generator sets.
As combustion fuel, hydrogen has clear advantages over fossil fuels given that it produces no emissions when burnt. A tri-generation plant produces heat, power and cooling, so the supported data centre can not only reduce its reliance on the grid but also use the chilled water produced by the plant to cool the data centre's computer systems.
Producing hydrogen through SMR
As part of the cooperation, Keppel and MHI will also export producing hydrogen through the steam methane reforming (SMR) process.
Methane hereby reacts with steam under 3-25 bar pressure in the presence of a catalyst to produce hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and a small amount of carbon dioxide. The process is endothermic, so heat needs to be supplied externally to get the chemical reaction going.
Keppel CEO Wong Wai Meng underlined company’s commitment to adopt sustainable energy solutions. “The exploration of hydrogen infrastructure is part of our strategy to work towards decarbonisation,” he said, adding “We’re happy to collaborate with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and tap on their vast experience and technology capabilities in our journey.”
MHI-AP chief regional officer Yoshiyuki Hanasawa underlined Mitsubishi’s long-term expertise in hydrogen and the company’s “focus on providing reliable and innovative cross-industry solutions aimed at ensuring a smooth energy transition.”