HNO International, a US-based hydrogen development firm, has launched a new division focused on data centers.
EcoFlare Power will harness flared natural gas to produce hydrogen and electricity, which will power high-performance computing (HPC) data centers and Bitcoin mining operations.
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EcoPower will offer a range of services to the data center and cryptocurrency sectors.
These include the conversion of flared gas to clean energy solutions, hydrogen production for backup power generation, environmental impact reduction through lowering carbon emissions from waster flaring, and decentralized power solutions for
"The launch of EcoFlare Power represents a pivotal step in HNO International's mission to drive the clean energy transition," said Donald Owens, chairman and CEO of HNO International.
"By capturing wasted flared gas and converting it into electricity and hydrogen, we are not only addressing a critical environmental issue but also creating a scalable energy solution for the industries that will shape the future."
Details on how the flared gas will be converted into hydrogen were not disclosed.
HNO is a green hydrogen development company. According to its website, it focuses on providing cost-effective, modular, scalable systems that produce, store, and dispense green and clean hydrogen to support the implementation of a global hydrogen energy infrastructure.
Companies involved in using flared gas claim the process benefits the environment by utilizing energy that would otherwise be wasted, with the gas burnt more efficiently, releasing less unburnt methane.
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas (GHG); burning it converts it into CO2, a much less potent but more long-lasting GHG. Crusoe Energy has previously said that burning methane to CO2 results in a 69 percent decrease in short-term CO2-equivalent emissions compared to flaring.
Over recent years, there has been increased interest in using flared natural gas to power cryptocurrency and AI data centers.
In November last year, Hilcorp announced a pilot project to test the feasibility of using natural gas from Alaska’s North Slope oil and gas fields to power a Bitcoin mining operation.
Earlier in the same month, Hyperscale Data launched a separate pilot project to explore the feasibility of Bitcoin mining powered by natural gas turbines operated by an undisclosed project partner.
In October, MARA launched a 25MW micro data center operation across oil wellheads in Texas and North Dakota, powered exclusively by excess natural gas.