Daily Shorts: Total seeks 5KTPA green H2, Indonesia wants homegrown EV champion

French oil major TotalEnergies sought applications for 500,000 tonnes per annum of green hydrogen to replace the grey hydrogen it currently uses in industrial activities. The company said this would reduce CO2 emissions from its European refineries by five million metric tons a year. Separately, the company announced a deal with Air Liquide to supply its Gonfreville refining platform up to 15,000 tonnes of green and low-carbon hydrogen, cutting 150,000 tons of CO2 emissions a year.

Battery startup Verkor announced it had secured more than €2 billion to build its gigafactory in Dunkirk, one of four sites France is showcasing to battery manufacturers. The funds comprised €850 million in capital from existing investors, €600 million in loans from the European Investment Bank and €650 million in state subsidies subject to approval. Verkor's gigafactory, scheduled to start production by middle of 2025, will have initial capacity of 16 GWh per year, of which 12 GWh is for Renault Group.

Indonesia is tapping China's Geely Automotive to build a homegrown electric car by 2025 or 2026, even as neighbour Malaysia tries to create a national EV champion. A government minister said Geely had agreed to Jakarta's proposal, which involves conducting research in the country and likely creating an Indonesian brand, and would entail supply from the island nation's vast nickel reserves. Earlier this week, Vietnam's VinFast said it would invest around $1.2 billion in Indonesia, starting with an EV plant that will start production in 2026.

Shipping company Maersk has formed a new company to produce green methanol, the company announced. CEO Vincent Clerc was clear that the company was "not going all-in", telling journalists it was possible another technology could emerge "in the course of the next few years". Maersk, which took possession of its first green methanol powered vessel earlier this year, has ordered 25 such ships. The fuel has been shown to reduce CO2 emissions of seafaring vessels by 60-95% compared with conventional fuels.

Tesla is evaluating EV batteries made by China's Sunrise New Energy, it emerged. The battery components maker said it received a request from Tesla's battery raw materials team asking for technology details, manufacturing plans and available capacity. Through a joint venture, Sunrise makes graphite anode material for lithium-ion batteries, which Tesla uses in its EVs. The JV is also constructing a 260,543 m2 manufacturing plant in China's Guizhou province.