More than 50 representatives from the Northern Area of Techint Engineering & Construction attended a Workshop to deepen their knowledge about renewable energies that are going to be used in future projects.

The first Energy Transition Training Day was held in Mexico from February 14 to 16, bringing together 55 representatives of Techint Engineering & Construction from the Mexico City headquarters as well as the Engineering offices in Monterrey. The talks were given by in-house specialists involved in projects related to clean energy in different countries.

Hernán Milberg, Energy Transition Sr. Manager, stated that, “Over a year ago, we identified the need to explain Energy Transition issues to our employees in greater depth, using different training scenarios. Then we had the idea of holding a Workshop, and organized the first session in Buenos Aires (Argentina), which was followed by this one in Mexico. In the next few months we will replicate it at other Engineering centers such as Milan, Mumbai and Quito.”

Nahuel Micone, Energy Transition Sr. Principal, explained that prior to this event, last year they held a series of virtual webinars, where many people showed interest in topics such as carbon capture and green hydrogen. “With all these new projects taking shape involving clean energy sources, we realized that we had to start transferring that knowledge to people in other areas where there is so much potential for these projects to be developed,” he added.

Alejandro Maluf, President North America Region, gave the keynote speech to open the workshop and reminded attendees that, “We need to understand our role, which is to make projects a reality, develop works that are more efficient and sustainable according to our values, with the standards of quality and professionalism that are a feature of our work.”

The company has worked on over 20 Energy Transition (ET) projects in the last three years, and although in some of them, only in the Engineering phase. “In Mexico, for instance, if any company’s going to be carrying out industrial projects, it’ll be very difficult for them not to think of us. Now, we’re also seeking to be a reference for these ET projects, and the first step is for everyone to understand what we’re talking about,” Maluf said.

The main pillars of the training course

The first day of the Workshop covered three of the main sources of clean energy in use today: solar, wind and biomass (organic matter that can be used to produce steam, electricity or carbon dioxide), and how these sources are used in Mexico and in other parts of the world.

The second day focused on CCUS (Carbon Dioxide Capture, Use and Storage Technology), and on H2 produced by water electrolysis using renewable energy, known as Green Hydrogen. This is being considered as an alternative to replace fossil fuels with low-carbon emissions renewable sources.

Finally, in the closing session, the topic of discussion centered on green ammonia, considered a sustainable and emission-free alternative. Green ammonia has a wide variety of applications in industry and other sectors. The sessions also covered efuels production (synthetic and carbon-neutral fuels) and green fuels or biofuels, obtained by processing organic matter.

Gabriela Robledo, Process Design Manager and one of the speakers at the workshop, highlighted the benefits of alternatives such as Green Hydrogen. “It’s a source of clean energy, it’s the lightest element in the periodic table, and we have it in abundance. Using it promises to create a large amount of energy that can be contained in small volumes,” she explained, adding that, “I believe that the future of the industry should move towards the use of more sustainable energy, not only hydrogen, but any alternative that enables us to reduce our carbon footprint.”

Julieta Medina, Energy Transition Principal, pointed out that, “these sessions enable us to update our knowledge of existing technological developments and market trends in each of the areas covered by the energy transition at an internal level. I believe that it’s really valuable to be aware about the areas in which we are already qualified to develop engineering.” She added that, “we envisage the possibility of advancing to the construction stages of this type of project, so we want to be well prepared for that moment.”