Mote progresses with carbon-negative hydrogen plant in California
Mot secures enough feedstock to supply the production of hydrogen at its first facility and accommodate future sites as part of its growth strategy.
Mote completes milestone preliminary design phase with engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firm Fluor to validate the technology in the mission to convert wood waste to hydrogen.
With carbon removal now regarded as a critical tool in the fight against climate change, Mote, a carbon capture and clean hydrogen startup, announced the successful finish of a key engineering analysis to de-risk technology for its future Kern County, California facility.
Mote engaged Fluor, an industry leading EPC firm, to execute Front-End Loading 2 (FEL-2), a preliminary design phase. Top design priorities were focused on driving for more energy efficiency in the hydrogen production process while reducing carbon intensity and lowering overall costs to build and operate.
The completion of this milestone provides Mote with commercial validation and allows the company to move forward with facility planning and technology integration, which utilizes wood waste from farms, forestry, and other resources, and converts it into hydrogen. Mote has also secured commitments for over 450 thousand tons of feedstock for its hydrogen production — more than enough to supply production at its first facility.
Mote’s integration of proven equipment in a novel process establishes the carbon removal and clean energy generation facility as a first-of-a-kind model for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The focus on carbon removal and storage sets Mote’s technology apart from other clean hydrogen projects.
This facility will maximize energy efficiency and scalability to achieve carbon reduction at a lower cost than current methods of carbon removal. From just one location, Mote expects to produce approximately seven million kilograms of carbon-negative hydrogen and remove 140,000 metric tons of CO2 from the air annually.
“Mote’s technology presents an amazing opportunity to solve multiple problems at once by removing carbon from the air, producing clean energy, and using wastes to improve air quality. Completing this engineering phase gives confidence that our technology is ready to deploy with low risk,” says Dr. Joshuah Stolaroff, Chief Technology Officer of Mote.
Mote aims to begin construction on its Kern County plant next year and be fully operational by 2025. Later this year, Mote will start the research and planning phases for other locations as the company expands.