climate solutions

Hydrogen

A low-carbon fuel

Scaling up production of low-carbon hydrogen

Hydrogen produces zero greenhouse gas emissions at its point of use. It's also versatile - suitable for power generation, trucking, and heat-intensive industries like steel and chemicals. We are scaling up production of low-carbon hydrogen to reduce CO2 emissions in our own facilities, and helping others do the same.

There are applications in the energy sector that require high energy density. Think long distance trucks, ships, heavy industry, steel, chemical production, cement. These applications will continue to need high energy density fuels and are unlikely to be electrified very easily. So, this is where we need a low-carbon fuel source like hydrogen.

Bryan Chapman

Energy Sciences Principal, ExxonMobil

Our first world-scale hydrogen facility

Hydrogen facility at Baytown

To further support our ambitions for net zero Scopes 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions across major operated assets by 2050, we are planning a world-scale blue hydrogen plant at our integrated refining and petrochemical complex in Baytown, Texas. The new plant could generate up to 1 billion cubic feet of hydrogen per day, delivering low-carbon fuel to the Baytown olefins plant and other Houston-area facilities. 
Learn more about our plans in Baytown

Behind the technology

Click on the key areas below to learn more about hydrogen

Natural gas

Natural gas is comprised largely of methane (CH4) and can be turned into hydrogen through a reforming process.

Hydrogen

Once isolated, hydrogen can be used for domestic heating, transportation and in other industrial areas.

Water

Water is an input into the reforming process.

Carbon storage

CO2 is removed, transported and permenently stored.

Steam methane reforming

Natural gas and steam undergo a series of reactions and separation to make H2 and CO2.

“We need policy incentives to support the production of low-carbon hydrogen and to incentivize investment in new demand cases for hydrogen.”

Erik Oswald
VP of Strategy Development for ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions

Low Carbon Solutions

Low Carbon Solutions is helping to lower emissions by providing solutions to our industrial and commercial customers in growing markets for carbon capture and storage, hydrogen and lower emission fuels.

What we do