Germany: Evia Aero plans to buy 15 aircraft from Britten-Norman and convert them to hydrogen propulsion +++ Germany: Gasunie begins construction of a hydrogen pipeline in Lower Saxony +++ Norway: Nel halts production in Herøya and lays off staff +++ USA: Plug Power receives a $1,66 billion loan guarantee from the Department of Energy +++ USA: Linde and Port Houston receive $25 million in funding for a hydrogen refueling station +++ Germany: Sunfire receives a €200 million guarantee from a banking consortium +++ Spain: H2Site raises €36 million through an investor consortium
A selection of PtX topics summarized at the end of the week
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Evia CEO Florian Kruse wants to buy 15 “Islanders” from William Hynett (CEO Britten-Norman): “The aircraft has all the capabilities we need as an operator for short-haul flights.” © Graphic: Britten-Norman Ltd.
(Germany) The Bremen-based aviation company Evia Aero GmbH intends to purchase 15 Islander aircraft from the British aircraft manufacturer Britten-Norman Ltd. (BN Group). According to the letter of intent, the aircraft will be delivered starting in early 2027 and converted to fuel cell propulsion. The collaboration also includes redesigning the interior to increase passenger comfort and functionality and to ensure compatibility with sustainable aviation technologies, according to the BN Group. The zero-emission aircraft will be refueled with green hydrogen produced locally at regional airports. Florian Kruse, CEO of Evia Aero, stated: “For us, it is important to use a product that is already in operation worldwide and has proven itself. With a revised, customized cabin design, we will make the aircraft available to our customers.”
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Route of the hydrogen pipeline from Peine to Salzgitter. © State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology (Lower Saxony)
(Germany) Gasunie Deutschland Transport Services GmbH is beginning work in Lower Saxony on the hydrogen pipeline from Peine to Salzgitter. The State Authority for Mining, Energy and Geology (LBEG), responsible for the planning approval process, has now issued a permit for this work. According to the Energy Industry Act (§ 44 para. 1), owners of the affected land must allow the company to carry out the necessary preliminary work. This work can include, among other things, soil investigations, investigations of groundwater and surface water, soil mapping, and geophysical measurements, the authority stated. The pipeline was approved by the Federal Network Agency in October 2024 as part of the core hydrogen network, due to the anticipated high demand for hydrogen in the Salzgitter area. Salzgitter AG, with plants in Salzgitter and Peine, plans to phase out coke in steel production and replace it with green hydrogen ( as previously reported ). For the procedure, which also includes an environmental impact assessment, the subsidiary of the Dutch transmission system operator must now conduct environmental studies and prepare the technical planning. The lists of affected land parcels can be viewed at the town halls of the affected municipalities and on the LBEG website.
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Market misjudged: Nel lays off employees and "temporarily" stops electrolyzer production in Herøya. © Nel ASA
(Norway) Electrolyzer manufacturer Nel ASA is "temporarily" suspending production at its Herøya plant and reducing its workforce. The company stated, in typical marketing jargon, that it has "initiated a process to adjust capacity to market demand." The market for renewable hydrogen production technologies has "developed more slowly than expected by the industry in general and by Nel." Order intake in 2023 and 2024 fell short of expectations, and several customer projects have been significantly delayed or are at risk of cancellation. Furthermore, Nel has initiated a process "to retain control of delivered equipment as compensation for outstanding payments of more than a year" to an unnamed customer. As a result, Nel has "only limited demand for the production of new alkaline electrolyzers in the near future" and will "adjust production and organizational capacities accordingly." This will affect approximately 20 percent of the full-time employees reported at the end of the third quarter of 2024. Approximately half of the reduction was already achieved in the fourth quarter of 2024 "through voluntary departures and resignations of consultants." Nel did not provide absolute figures. According to its quarterly report (Q3/24), Nel had 430 employees at that time, almost ten percent more than in the same period of the previous year.
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Hydrogen production plant in Georgia. © Plug Power Inc.
(USA) Plug Power Inc. has received a $1,66 billion loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). This is "a significant step in expanding our domestic manufacturing and hydrogen production capabilities, creating many high-quality jobs in the U.S.," said CEO Andy Marsh. According to the company, the funds will finance the construction of up to six U.S. projects "for the large-scale production and liquefaction of carbon-free or low-carbon hydrogen," most notably the green hydrogen plant in Graham, Texas. The recipient of the funds, according to the DOE, is its subsidiary Plug Power Energy Loan Borrower, LLC. Plug currently operates the largest proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis system in the United States at its facility in Georgia.
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"The Houston Ship Channel is the busiest waterway in the country" - the volume of goods handled at Port Houston is correspondingly high. Linde is developing a filling station for trucks there, along with hydrogen infrastructure. © Port Houston
(USA) A hydrogen refueling station for heavy-duty trucks is planned for the Port of Houston, Texas. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) are providing a grant of approximately $25 million (€24 million) for the project. Participating in the "Bayport HRS" project are the Port of Houston Authority, industrial gas manufacturer Linde Inc., GTI Energy, the Argonne National Laboratory (which specializes in hydrogen infrastructure modeling), and the non-profit Center for Houston's Future. The publicly accessible station will be designed for high-volume refueling and will promote the development of the supply chain in Texas and the Gulf Coast region. Hydrogen will be delivered via pipeline. Linde will design, build, own, and operate the new facility. "The Houston Ship Channel is the busiest waterway in the country," said Charlie Jenkins, CEO of Port Houston. Last year, the Port Authority received nearly $57 million in grants to support the port's sustainability plan.
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Sunfire receives a bank guarantee of 200 million euros to expand its business activities. © Sunfire AG
(Germany) The Dresden-based electrolyzer manufacturer Sunfire AG has received a bank guarantee (guarantee financing) of €200 million. The financing is being provided by a consortium led by Commerzbank AG. The guarantee line serves "to secure customer advance payments as well as contractual performance and warranty obligations." Eighty percent of the loan amount is secured by parallel default guarantees from the German federal government and the Free State of Saxony; the remaining 20 percent is borne by the banks themselves. This allows industrial projects and customer orders to be secured more efficiently without cash collateral, and advance payments received can be used effectively for the production of electrolyzers without tying up the company's own funds. The guarantee financing has a term of five years.
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H2Site receives fresh capital of 36 million euros. © Hydrogen Onsite SL
(Spain) Hydrogen Onsite, SL (H2Site) has raised €36 million in a financing round from an investor consortium led by low-carbon hydrogen investment manager Hy24 and venture capital fund SC Net Zero Ventures. Since 2021, H2Site has been developing a membrane technology that enables the separation of hydrogen from gas streams and easily transportable molecules such as ammonia or methanol. The company reports having built and commissioned 15 projects in Western Europe and is now developing large-scale infrastructure projects in North America, the EU, and the Asia-Pacific region. The financing will, among other things, support the commissioning of a hydrogen production plant with a capacity of several tons per day by 2026. The company is also working on projects for the decentralized cracking of ammonia. The company was founded in 2020 in Bilbao, northern Spain, and was created in collaboration with Engie New Ventures as a spin-off of the private research center TECNALIA and the Eindhoven University of Technology.
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Photos
iStock / © Danil Melekhin
