Bechtel Will Start Design of $6B Texas Carbon-Neutral Fuel Plant

Abstract

Bechtel will perform front-end engineering and design of what it says is a $6-billion carbon neutral fuel plant near Bay City, Texas-the first of 12 such manufacturing facilities planned by the Houston-based unit of e-fuels developer HIF Global that will combine captured carbon dioxide with green hydrogen to produce cleaner gasoline and jet fuel. HIF Global received a state tax incentive, according to the Houston Chronicle. The methanol is produced by combining green hydrogen with carbon dioxide captured from the atmosphere, HIF Global said. The e-fuel can used in any existing vehicle without any engine modification, HIF Global said. "Carbon-neutral efuels represent the new frontier for the energy sector, enabling renewable resources to fuel our mobile economy," Meg Gentle, HIF Global's U.S. unit executive director said in a statement. HIF Global said it expects construction to begin in the first quarter of 2024 after Bechtel completes front-end engineering and design, with operations set to start in 2027. HIF Global investors include German automaker Porsche, energy technology company Baker Hughes and Chile-based power generator AME..