New waste-to-hydrogen LOI between Ways2H and Valecom positions island of Martinique as a blueprint for Caribbean

From California came news that Ways2H Inc., a global supplier of renewable hydrogen systems, and VALECOM, a Caribbean ecological and energy solutions provider, signed a letter of intent to transform up to 9,000 tons of Martinican waste – including one of their largest waste items, banana plastic waste bags – into renewable hydrogen every year. This first project between the two companies will focus on hydrogen production for power generation in the island, with possible applications for clean mobility solutions including municipal buses in the future.

In today’s Digest, the details behind the deal, the production facility, why folks are going totally bananas about this project that will valorize 24 tons of available feedstock to power buildings and later, municipal buses, and more.

Teaming up to solve banana waste problem

Martinique is emblematic of the challenges facing many island nations today, which are increasingly a model for circular economies under pressure to utilize not only their resources, but their waste. In Martinique, one of the largest waste streams is the plastic bags used to protect the island’s main export product – bananas. The island uses 3,000 tons of these plastic films every year, which cannot be reused, making it an ideal feedstock for Ways2H’s waste-to-hydrogen process.

“At COP21 we laid out a plan for several projects that would help Caribbean islands, like Martinique, to be more resilient and we consider this project with Ways2H as the next step in that vision”, said VALECOM CEO, Dominique Regis. “This modular and multi-flow project in Martinique will set up one or more of Ways2H’s waste-to-energy units and we intend to replicate it in other Caribbean Islands.”

Under the partnership, Ways2H will initially process 24 tons of mixed commercial waste, including plastics and furniture, per day, with an additional 8 tons per day once the infrastructure is fully operational after an 18 months construction period.

With waste-to-hydrogen sites underway in Japan, France, Scotland, and the U.S., Ways2H has positioned itself as an early pioneer in the renewable hydrogen sector. Its modular reactors sit on-site, recycling all types of waste – from agricultural, to plastics, sewage sludge, MSW and other refuse – in a carbon-neutral process that converts the waste into a gas and extracts pure hydrogen. The top applications of Ways2H’s process are currently fuel for fuel-cell vehicles and power generators.

“What we’re seeing in Martinique is not unique to what we’re seeing across the world: local, often rural, economies that are struggling to manage increasingly diverse waste streams, heightened energy costs and job losses,” said Ways2H CEO Jean-Louis Kindler. “As we approach COP26, we see our work here, and in our projects around the world, as a critical blueprint for circular economy creation and we thank our partners like VALECOM as we work towards this mutual goal.”

The production facility will be located near the Island’s landfill.

Background on Ways2H

Ways2H, Inc. applies a carbon-neutral thermochemical process to convert waste into renewable hydrogen. The company’s patented process extracts hydrogen from the world’s worst waste streams – municipal solid waste, plastics, and other refuse – without incineration to produce clean fuel for mobility and power generation. A joint venture between US-based Clean Energy Enterprises and Japan Blue Energy Co., Ltd., Ways2H is a unique solution for the global $400 billion+ solid waste management market and the rapidly growing hydrogen economy, estimated to reach $2.5 trillion by 2050.

Background on VALECOM

Valecom, a company based in Martinique, implements solutions to generate energy from local resources. Thus, it supports the implementation of public policies; and simultaneously promotes waste treatment and valorization, chlordecone contaminated soil depollution and the treatment and recovery of Sargassum. Valecom’s core values include: strengthening energy independence, contributing to environmental protection and taking part in local waste management.