Düsseldorf: Control center to network H2 stakeholders in North Rhine-Westphalia +++ Netherlands: Mitsubishi plans to invest €627 million in H2 production (media) +++ Italy: Green light for pipeline study in Morocco (media) +++ Lubmin: HH2E plans to produce green hydrogen from 2025 +++ Sweden: Volvo researching H2 combustion engine +++ Sweden: OX2 plans offshore hydrogen production +++ Berlin: Draft amendment to the Energy Industry Act adopted by the cabinet +++ Bremerhaven: ISL investigating container solutions for hydrogen imports +++ DISCOUNT promotion: Your advertisement on the PtX portal
A selection of PtX topics summarized at the end of the week
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A hydrogen control center is intended to network the actors in North Rhine-Westphalia. © State of North Rhine-Westphalia
The state government of North Rhine-Westphalia is establishing a central office for the hydrogen economy. This office is located within the state-owned company NRW.Energy4Climate. According to the government, its mission is to network companies, municipalities, infrastructure operators, mobility providers, hydrogen producers, and other stakeholders; to provide information on new developments; to organize projects and events; and to offer publications and background information. Furthermore, it will support companies in establishing international hydrogen collaborations and initiating projects. According to Samir Khayat, Managing Director of NRW.Energy4Climate, North Rhine-Westphalia could save a quarter of its current CO2 emissions through hydrogen alone. The H2.NRW central office and its contact persons can be reached via the website www.h2.nrw.de.
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The Japanese trading company Mitsubishi Corp. reportedly plans to invest over 100 billion yen (627 million euros) in the Netherlands to build one of the world's largest green hydrogen production plants. Production will be handled by Eneco Diamond Hydrogen, a joint venture between Mitsubishi and the subsidiary of the Dutch renewable energy company Eneco, according to an article on the financial news portal "Asia Nikkei ." Eneco operates a large offshore wind farm in the Netherlands, the electricity from which will be used to produce the hydrogen. The planned capacity is 80.000 tons per year. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2026, with hydrogen production starting in 2029.
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The Italian government has given the green light to fund a feasibility study for the construction of a pipeline for green hydrogen produced in Morocco. According to the Moroccan news portal "Yabiladi," the pipeline, running through the port of Trieste, would provide a logistics platform for distributing the energy carrier in Central and Eastern Europe. The study will analyze the potential of a green hydrogen supply chain corridor between Morocco and Trieste.
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HH2E and Gascade agree to add hydrogen to the natural gas transmission network. © HH2E AG
Hydrogen producer HH2E AG plans to begin producing green hydrogen in Lubmin by the end of 2025 and feed it into the natural gas grid. As soon as capacity on the "Flow – making hydrogen happen" pipeline becomes available, HH2E will utilize it. The pipeline system from the Baltic Sea to southern Germany is part of the draft of the German core hydrogen network and has been confirmed by the European Commission as a "Project of Common Interest." "The blending of hydrogen is an important interim step for us on the path to transporting pure hydrogen," says Ulrich Benterbusch, Managing Director of the gas transmission system operator Gascade Gastransport GmbH. With this project, by 2025, they will have "substantial transport capacity and a central axis in German hydrogen transport." Blending green hydrogen with natural gas offers several advantages. Among other things, it utilizes the existing infrastructure, making it a cost-effective transitional strategy. Furthermore, it increases energy security and reduces dependence on fossil fuels.
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Volvo is looking for two doctoral students to research hydrogen combustion engines. © Volvo Group
The Swedish Volvo Group has announced the development of a hydrogen-powered combustion engine. Two PhD students will be hired to work on the project at Chalmers University of Technology and Lund University in Sweden. The company already offers battery-electric powertrains and is investing heavily in hydrogen technology – both for fuel cell applications and combustion engines. The Volvo Group is committed to the ongoing research and development of the combustion engine. "Diverse powertrain applications" will be needed in the future "to meet the needs and environmental requirements of our customers," says Lars Stenqvist, Chief Technology Officer of the Volvo Group. "I see the combustion engine running on green hydrogen as another solution of great interest." The PhD students hired by the Volvo Group are expected to be selected in the first quarter of 2024, and the research will continue until 2029. The scholarship is an initiative “not only to secure the training of researchers, but also to support the transition to sustainable transport with one of the three drive technologies of the Volvo Group,” said Lars Stenqvist.
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OX2 AB is planning offshore hydrogen production off the coast of Sweden. © OX2 AB
Swedish project developer OX2 AB and Ingka Investments plan to build an offshore hub called "Neptunus" off the coast of Blekinge in southern Sweden. The companies have now submitted their permit application. Neptunus will comprise up to 207 wind turbines with an installed capacity of 3,1 gigawatts. The yield is projected at 13 to 15 terawatt-hours per year. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2030. In addition, OX2 and Ingka Investments have also applied for permits for offshore hydrogen production with a maximum output of 370.000 tons per year, as well as a pilot project to oxygenate the Baltic Sea. The oxygen, a byproduct of hydrogen production, would be released into the Baltic Sea to improve biodiversity.
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The Federal Cabinet presents a draft amendment to the EnWG. © Federal Government / Steins
The German Federal Government has presented draft legislation ( 20/10014 ) for a Third Act Amending the Energy Industry Act (EnWG). The aim is "to create the legal framework for the development of a national hydrogen infrastructure in order to enable a rapid and cost-effective ramp-up of the hydrogen market." This serves "primarily decarbonization – especially in the economic sectors with the highest greenhouse gas emissions, where, even considering environmental aspects, no more energy- and cost-efficient alternatives to hydrogen are available," the draft states in its introduction. To achieve this, it is necessary to build upon existing private-sector structures in order to utilize the available expertise and skilled workforce immediately and to the best possible extent. In addition to the planned creation of a core hydrogen network as the first stage, the draft legislation includes a second stage for its further development. The goal is "to connect additional hydrogen consumers and producers, as well as hydrogen storage facilities, beyond the core hydrogen network and to establish a nationwide hydrogen network." The draft proposes the timely introduction of "comprehensive, regular network development planning for hydrogen within the EnWG." The planning should be carried out in an integrated process together with the network development plan for natural gas, in order to consider the interactions between the two areas. The gas and hydrogen network development plan will be established from 2025 onwards and will be drawn up regularly every two years. The Bundestag held its first reading of the draft on Thursday, January 18, 2024. Following the debate, the draft was referred to the committees. The Committee on Climate Protection and Energy will take the lead in the further deliberations.
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Hydrogen transport container from Hensoldt AG. © ISL
The Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL) is currently investigating various concepts and their potential for using hydrogen containers for hydrogen imports. According to the institute, this includes, in particular, the analysis of pressurized gas containers, focusing on scalability and efficiency for a sustainable logistics solution. Hydrogen is considered "a good way" to become less dependent on fossil fuels, as well as on supply bottlenecks and price fluctuations. This applies to areas such as industrial production, the supply of hydrogen to residential and commercial areas via combined heat and power plants, the operation of emergency power generators, the construction of hydrogen refueling stations, as well as logistics applications and research projects. Hydrogen can be imported via pipeline or ship, and existing natural gas pipelines can be converted. Experts currently estimate a realization period of three to five years. For the construction of a new hydrogen pipeline, a timeframe of up to ten years is expected. However, for the transport of hydrogen in its pure form as a bulk commodity, neither ships nor transshipment or storage facilities of sufficient scale currently exist. Another option for hydrogen imports in the maritime sector, which has not yet been examined in detail, is the transport of compressed gaseous hydrogen in special pressurized containers. A significant flexibility lies in the fact that the hydrogen containers could be transported as "additional cargo" using existing infrastructure and transport vehicles for standard containers. The project runs until May 2024. Further information is available on the ISL project website.
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Photos
iStock / © Danil Melekhin
