In brief… TICKER (Week 34)

Germany: Sunfire starts construction of high-temperature electrolysis plant in Schwarzheide +++ Canada: Next Hydrogen finalizes design of 10 MW refueling station +++ Germany: Abo Energy sells hydrogen project to Tyczka +++ Morocco: Ornx commissions KBR to conduct pre-feed study for ammonia production +++ Germany: Vorwerk Group acquires Meter-Q Solutions +++ Finland: P2X Solutions' methanization plant fully booked for the next ten years +++ Germany: Hereon, Meyer Werft, and HSU develop hydrogen storage system to supply passenger ships in ports +++ USA: Topsoe supplies technology for First Ammonia's Green Ammonia project +++ India: Hystar and BHEL plan local production of PEM electrolyzers +++ UK: Getech identifies potential for natural hydrogen in Europe

A selection of PtX topics summarized at the end of the week

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(Germany) Sunfire SE is beginning construction of a test plant for high-temperature electrolysis (SOEC) at the BASF site in Schwarzheide, Brandenburg, within the Lausitz Industrial Park. The technology utilizes available waste heat, enabling highly efficient hydrogen production. Sunfire achieves record efficiencies of up to 89 percent. The company did not disclose any information regarding costs or capacity. Thyssenkrupp Nucera AG recently halted a similar SOEC project in Anstadt, Thuringia, after a lengthy preparation phase ( more on this ).

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(Canada) Next Hydrogen Solutions Inc. has completed the Basic Design Engineering Package (BDEP) for a planned hydrogen refueling station in British Columbia. The project aims to support the province's decarbonization efforts for the transportation sector. The design is based on Next Hydrogen's commercially deployed containerized electrolyzers. A Financial Investment Decision (FID) is expected by the end of 2026, with construction anticipated to begin in late 2027 or early 2028. The client was not disclosed. British Columbia has significant hydropower capacity for green electricity, is investing heavily in hydrogen technologies, and is positioning itself particularly for medium and heavy-duty vehicles where batteries have range and charging time limitations. Hydrogen-powered trucks are being tested in BC's Lower Mainland, where freight corridors and hydrogen hubs within the province are progressing.

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(Germany) Abo Energy GmbH & Co. KGaA has sold a hydrogen project in Hünfeld-Michelsrombach, near Fulda, Hesse, to Tyczka Hydrogen GmbH. The plant comprises an electrolyzer, a refueling station, and a trailer filling station. After several years of planning and 13 months of construction, Abo Energy commissioned the project in the summer of 2025. It received €12 million in funding from the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure as part of the National Innovation Program for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP). In July 2025, the plant received TÜV certification under the CertifHy EU RNFBO Voluntary Scheme (Renewable Fuel of Non-Biological Origin). Since then, the five-megawatt PEM electrolyzer has produced 450 tons of green hydrogen annually for the on-site 350-bar refueling station and trailer filling station for fuel cell buses and trucks. The electricity required for this comes from wind and solar farms.

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(Morocco) The US engineering and construction company KBR Inc., as consortium leader for Ornx Green Hydrogen, is preparing a Pre-Front-End Engineering Design Study (Pre-FEED) for an ammonia project in the Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra region of Morocco. The underlying plans envision an electrolysis capacity of approximately 900 megawatts for 100.000 tons of hydrogen and a production capacity of 560.000 tons of ammonia. The project aims to leverage the region's abundant renewable resources and strategic access to port infrastructure to build a competitive green hydrogen industry, according to the company, presumably implying export opportunities. The consortium includes GE Vernova, Electric Hydrogen, and Terabase. The study is supported by funding from the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA). Ornx is a consortium comprised of the US company Ortus, Acciona (Spain), and Nordex (Germany). The joint venture is one of five investors that Morocco selected in March 2025 to develop six green hydrogen and ammonia projects in the south of the country.

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(Germany) The Friedrich Vorwerk Group SE, a pipeline and plant engineering company specializing in natural gas, electricity, and hydrogen infrastructure, has acquired the business operations of Meter-Q Solutions GmbH in Friedberg, Hesse. The site will continue to operate as a branch of its subsidiary, Vorwerk Gas Technology GmbH, under the "meterQ" brand. Founded in 2014, the company is one of the few in Germany that has mastered "gas quality measurement in this breadth and depth." It manufactures and maintains stationary and mobile measurement and analysis systems for natural gas, hydrogen, and biogas, along with storage, transmission, and distribution networks. Systems from Friedberg are "in use by almost all German network operators." MeterQ's portfolio includes a gas chromatograph with a sampling probe that returns unused sample gas directly to the gas pipeline without a separate bypass, significantly reducing natural gas emissions compared to conventional process gas chromatographs. This expertise complements Vorwerk's know-how in gas and hydrogen technology. The company from Tostedt (Lower Saxony) has combined its gas, hydrogen and energy technology divisions in Vorwerk Gas Technology GmbH.

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(Finland) P2X Solutions Oy will supply synthetic methane to the Swiss company Avanca Energy AG starting in October 2026. With this agreement, the current capacity of the methane production plant in Harjavalta is "sold out for the next ten years." The contracting parties are Avanca subsidiaries Avanca Renewables AG and Alternoil GmbH. Furthermore, the commercial cooperation is to be significantly expanded, with the delivery volume increasing tenfold compared to the 2026 level. The e-methane (e-LNG) supplied by P2X Solutions will be made available for heavy vehicles via the Avanca/Alternoil filling station network. Alternoil GmbH, based in Lower Saxony, operates Germany's largest renewable LNG distribution network with 56 filling stations and more than 120 delivery points. Avanca Energy and its subsidiaries cover the entire process from production and storage to refueling. Just in July, the Finnish technology company Nordic Ren-Gas and the Avanca Group announced the conclusion of a contract for the delivery of green methane worth one billion euros ( more on this ).

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(Germany) Researchers at the Helmholtz Centre Hereon, together with Meyer Werft GmbH and the Helmut Schmidt University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg (HSU), are developing a hydrogen storage system for passenger ships operating in ports. The system aims to enable emission-free energy supply, as shore power is often not widely available and involves high costs and significant infrastructure requirements for large passenger ships. The H2MASS project focuses on a hydrogen storage system based on metal hydrides – powdered metals that chemically incorporate hydrogen atoms into their lattice structure. This results in a significantly higher storage density than conventional high-pressure tanks. Furthermore, metal hydrides require lower pressure to store hydrogen and moderate temperatures to release it. This makes their operation safe and energy-efficient. Over a project duration of 48 months, the partners are developing a ship-integrated energy system with a capacity of four megawatts to cover the hotel load during port operations.

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(USA) Denmark's Topsoe A/S and First Ammonia plan to advance green ammonia production in the United States in Victoria, Texas. Under the agreement, Topsoe will provide its ammonia synthesis technology, which will enable production to increase from 10 percent to 100 percent within 30 minutes, or decrease at a similar rate, to respond to fluctuations in renewable energy generation. The facilities will produce green ammonia for both the international and US markets. Financial closing is expected in 2026, with commercial operations scheduled to begin in 2029.

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(India) The Norwegian company Hystar A/S and the Indian state-owned engineering company Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) plan to manufacture PEM electrolyzers based on Hystar technology in India. This positions Hystar “as the preferred international technology partner for one of India’s leading engineering and manufacturing companies in the energy and infrastructure sector.” The agreement was signed at BHEL’s headquarters in New Delhi. India aims to boost demand for hydrogen and electrolysis technologies and build local manufacturing capacity as part of its “National Green Hydrogen Mission” and the Indian government’s “Make in India” initiative.

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(Great Britain) Getech Group plc has been awarded €1 million in funding by the European Commission to assess the potential of naturally occurring hydrogen in Europe. The project, designed to run for twelve months, was commissioned by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW). The project aims to produce the first comprehensive geological assessment of the conditions for natural hydrogen storage in all EU member states and to examine the feasibility of commercial production at selected sites. The company will contribute the key geological components of the study as part of a consortium led by the consultancy Trinomics BV.

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Photo above
iStock / © Danil Melekhin