(Berlin) - The Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport (BMDV) has announced the three winners of the “HyPerformer” category as part of the “HyLand” competition. The regions selected in this second round will each receive up to 15 million euros to implement their concepts, which they can now apply for.
Thuringia: TH2ECO
In Thuringia, TH2ECO wants to build and expand a hydrogen infrastructure in the Erfurt metropolitan region. Under the name “TH2ECO Mobility”, “an H2 mobility hub” is being developed at the freight transport center in the state capital. This includes the construction of 70 truck parking spaces, a public hydrogen filling station along with charging infrastructure for battery-operated vehicles, hydrogen production with two electrolyzers of two megawatts each and the connection to a regional pipeline for hydrogen distribution; In the long term, this is to be connected to the planned European supply network “European Hydrogen Backbone”.
The winners from Thuringia with representatives from politics and business. © NOW GmbH / Franz Josef Brück
According to the Ministry of the Environment, they are also planning to procure at least 20 hydrogen trucks. In the longer term, underground hydrogen storage near Kirchheilingen (Unstrut-Hainich district) is also being considered. From there the energy source will reach Erfurt via a long-distance pipeline
In addition to federal funding, around ten project partners are reportedly investing another ten million euros. A total of 2 million euros is available for TH25ECO Mobility. Dirk Schmidt from the consulting company EurA AG promises that the hydrogen filling station will be commissioned in January 2025. The planned duration of the entire project is from September 2023 to August 2027.
Rhine-Ruhr: Düsseldorf.Rhine.Wupper
Another winner is the “Hydrogen Competence Region Düssel.Rhein.Wupper”. According to the Ruhr Regional Association (RVR), which coordinated the application, electrolysers and gas stations are planned in Düsseldorf, Wuppertal, Essen, Gelsenkirchen and Dorsten, among others. In addition, the location of the stations partially allows later access to a regional pipeline.
Participants from the “HyPerformer Rhine-Ruhr” with representatives from NOW GmbH and the Ruhr regional association. © NOW GmbH / Franz Josef Brück
The city of Essen, for example, nominated three projects from the mobility sector. Eon Hydrogen and the US vehicle manufacturer Nikola Corp. were working on the development of an integrated mobility solution for hydrogen-powered heavy-duty transport, according to the Essener Wirtschaftsfördergesellschaft mbH (EWG). This includes the supply of green hydrogen, the establishment of a filling station infrastructure and the provision of fuel cell trucks. The existing filling stations are largely geared towards car traffic, so it is “urgently necessary to create refueling options for bus and heavy goods traffic”.
In addition, the Dutch investor and developer VoltH2 Operating BV is planning to build an electrolyzer for the production of green hydrogen, which will be made available at a gas station owned by H2 Mobility Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG on the TÜV Nord Campus site in Essen.
According to RVR regional director Karola Geiß-Netthöfel, the application united the interests of over 100 supporting companies, municipalities and research institutions. The state of North Rhine-Westphalia will increase the federal funding of 15 million euros associated with the winnings by another 15 million euros. Through further commitments from investors, hydrogen projects in the transport infrastructure totaling 82 million euros could be implemented.
Rügen-Stralsund project region
The Vorpommern-Rügen district submitted its project proposals together with half a dozen companies as well as the city of Stralsund and the university there. These aimed to “build up the hydrogen economy and at the same time promote the use of green and regionally produced hydrogen in mobility,” according to the state government of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
The H2 project region Rügen-Stralsund also has an eye on the supply ships for the maintenance teams of the Baltic Sea wind farms. © NOW GmbH / Franz Josef Brück
This includes refueling fuel cell buses in local public transport and trucks in heavy-duty transport, as well as supplying supply ships that take maintenance teams to offshore wind farms in the Baltic Sea. The Stralsund public utility company would produce green hydrogen from wind and solar power and a gas station would be built in the immediate vicinity. The waste heat serves as green district heating to supply neighborhoods. A total of 13,85 million euros in funding is earmarked for the project; the total investment is around 25 million euros.
HyLand – hydrogen regions in Germany
“HyLand” is a BMDV competition and has been held since 2019. The aim is to initiate concepts for the use of hydrogen and fuel cell technology in transport (“HyStarter” program), plan (“HyExperts”) and implement (“HyPerformer”). This supports the regional development of a hydrogen economy and application clusters, according to the ministry.
In the first phase of the competition in 2019, the three winners received funding of 20 million euros each. “HyBayern” wants to set up a closed cycle of production, distribution and use of green hydrogen in the model region of Landshut, Munich and Ebersberg (project volume 42 million euros, duration until 2025).
“HyWays for Future” is intended to secure the fuel supply with green hydrogen in Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremen, Oldenburg and Wilhelmshaven (project volume 64,2 million euros, running until 2023), and “H2Rivers” wants to make the Rhine-Neckar region a hydrogen model region in the mobility sector (project volume 52,2 million euros, duration until August 2023).
Further information on the background of the “HyLand” competition can be found on the Website. However, at the time of going to press, NOW GmbH had not yet updated this to include the “HyPerformer II” awards.
Photos
The Federal Ministry of Transport's HyPerformer competition supports projects that focus on the mobility sector with the use of hydrogen. © H2 Mobility Deutschland GmbH&Co.KG
