KUCHING, March 24: Petroliam National Berhad (Petronas) has found solutions that will reduce gas turbines’ energy consumption and prevent flare gas leakages to lower methane emissions at the recently concluded Race2Decarbonise hackathon event.
In a news report by Bernama, Petronas shared that the winning solutions from the inaugural hackathon winner are set to be deployed at Petronas’ facilities within the next two years.
This is to support the company’s Net Zero Carbon Emission by 2050 (NZCE 2050) short-term target of bringing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from its Malaysia operations to 49.5 MtCO₂e by 2024.
Petronas president and group chief executive officer, Datuk Tengku Muhammad Taufik said Race2Decarbonise aims to meet Petronas’ short-term GHG emissions reduction target and reaffirms our commitment to creating long-lasting, impactful sustainable decarbonisation efforts.
“This is a crusade against emissions because we believe that we need to deliver energy more responsibly and in a differentiated manner,” he said at the Race2Decarbonise hackathon grand-final prize ceremony event.
Meanwhile, Petronas Project Delivery and Technology senior vice-president, Datuk Bacho Pilong, said he was moved by the passion of the participants.
“The solutions are effective, groundbreaking, and probably even future-defining.
“We are confident of their impact, and look forward to seeing how these solutions enrich the lives of the community, our customers and stakeholders through strategic deployments at Petronas,” he said.
The event attracted 500 submissions from 25 countries, and 29 participants from Malaysia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the USA were shortlisted to pitch their ideas at the Petronas Leadership Centre from March 13 to 16.
Participants’ identities and backgrounds were kept anonymous throughout the screening and judging process to ensure objectivity and transparency.
The grand prize winners of Track A (Proven Solutions) and Track B (Novel Ideas) won USD100,000 and USD150,000 respectively, for their out-of-the-box ideas.
The winning solutions of Track A (in order of the grand prize, first, and second runners-up) are Honeywell Gas Turbine-Battery Energy Storage System by a team comprising Honeywell and Petronas engineers, Organic Rankine Cycle by an Orcan-Petronas team, and Twin Screw Turbine Generators by a team from Heliex Power Ltd.
The winning solutions of Track B are the New Generation of Blow Down Valve by a team from Petronas, Methane/ Flare Gas Electrolysis (Plasmalysis) by Graforce GmbH, and Decarbonisation of Ammonia Syngas Plant through Urea Production by a team from Petronas. — DayakDaily
