What's also important... TICKER (week 12)

China: Hydrogen economy faces hurdles +++ Germany: Sunfire spins off its fuel cell business +++ Switzerland: EH Group receives approval for 250 kW fuel cell system for ships +++ New Zealand: Wellington Airport tests H2 generators +++ Australia: Black & Veatch explores white hydrogen exploration +++ Morocco: One million hectares for green hydrogen projects +++ Germany: EKPO delivers fuel cell stacks to Hongqi +++ Austria: South Tyrolean government wants to abandon hydrogen technology +++ Norway: Yara and Acme sign supply agreement for green ammonia +++ DISCOUNT offer: Your advertisement on the PtX portal

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

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(China) Promoting the development of "leading sectors," including the hydrogen industry, is one of the Chinese government's "fundamental industrial tasks" this year. Deputies at the recent National People's Congress (NPC) also put forward proposals for developing the sector, which is considered "the ultimate solution" for curbing vehicle emissions, the China Daily reports . According to a hydrogen development plan published in 2022, the government aims to have 50.000 fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) on the road by 2025. This is of strategic importance, but there are obstacles in some aspects, the newspaper quotes an NPC deputy as saying. She called for faster financial support from the authorities. It takes two to three years for companies to receive their subsidies, which causes financial problems, especially for small businesses. Another deputy suggested including Shanxi province on the list of five major fuel cell vehicle demonstration projects due to its abundant hydrogen resources. These included Beijing, Shanghai, and cities in the provinces of Guangdong, Henan, and Hebei. Companies in the sector are also concerned about technological challenges. Major hurdles include the cost of green hydrogen, as well as its storage and transportation, the newspaper quotes the head of public relations at FTXT Energy Technology, a company specializing in the research and development, manufacturing, and distribution of fuel cell products. While China ranks first in the world in the number of hydrogen refueling stations—with more than 400 in operation and another 300 under construction—refueling at some stations takes more than 30 minutes. FTXT anticipates a turning point only in 2025, when the country's fleet reaches 50.000 vehicles.

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(Germany) Sunfire GmbH, a manufacturer of electrolyzers and fuel cells, is spinning off its fuel cell division into an independent entity. While both the electrolysis and fuel cell markets show significant growth potential, the company stated that the two business areas require very different development strategies. The former Sunfire Fuel Cells GmbH, based in Neubrandenburg, will continue to develop, sell, and service fuel cell systems for off-grid power supply as a separate company. The current managing director, Matthias Boltze, will take over the company, which he founded in 2010 as "New Enerday," and will continue to operate it under that name. "We are now fully dedicating our resources to our electrolysis projects and the further development of our pressure alkaline and high-temperature SOEC electrolyzers," says Sunfire CEO Nils Aldag. According to Matthias Boltze, there will be "no noticeable changes" for customers.

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(Switzerland) The TRACE-M250 fuel cell system, designed by EH Group Engineering AG for high-performance maritime applications, meets all applicable maritime rules, regulations, codes, and standards. This was confirmed by the certification company DNV following mandatory testing, which granted "preliminary approval." The type approval process is already underway. The approval will "enable the company to meet the high performance requirements of the shipping sector and offer turnkey solutions," says Danny Knippen, certification engineer and project manager. Founded in Switzerland in 2017, the EH Group focuses on the development and production of high-power-density, high-efficiency fuel cell technology for the ship, off-road vehicle, truck, and aircraft sectors, as well as for large-scale stationary power generation.

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(New Zealand) A hydrogen-powered generator for producing electricity for service vehicles was tested for the first time at Wellington Airport in New Zealand. This is intended to help better assess the technology for charging electric tugs and other ground vehicles and "give us good insight into the operational challenges and opportunities," says Wellington Airport CEO Matt Clarke. The trial was initiated by four New Zealand companies: Air New Zealand, Wellington Airport, Toyota New Zealand, and Hiringa Energy. The program contributes to a better understanding of the benefits of introducing hydrogen into airport operations and also prepares the airport for the use of hydrogen-powered aircraft, says Hiringa CEO Andrew Clennett.

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(Australia) Australian company H2EX Ltd., in partnership with US engineering firm Black & Veatch, will conduct a study on the exploration and extraction of naturally occurring ("white") hydrogen and helium. Black & Veatch will develop two concept designs for use on the Eyre Peninsula: one for drilling and completing an exploration well, and the other for surface facilities to purify and process natural hydrogen and helium. The project seeks a method for drilling and extracting hydrogen that could be up to 75 percent more cost-effective than manufacturing it. The study aims to secure first-mover advantages for Australia, creating export opportunities and competitive advantages while developing technological expertise. The study is partly funded by the Australian Federal Department of Science and Innovation and is expected to be completed by mid-2024.

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(Morocco) The Moroccan government plans to make one million hectares of land available for green hydrogen projects. The first phase will focus on 300.000 hectares to attract investors, according to a report by the Reuters news agency . The initiative would help Morocco "play a key role in the global energy transition," the agency quoted a statement from the Prime Minister's office as saying. Morocco's offer applies to integrated projects that cover everything from electricity generation from renewable energy sources and electrolysis to the conversion of green hydrogen into ammonia, methanol, and synthetic fuels, the report states. Around 100 investors have already expressed interest.

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(Germany) EKPO Fuel Cell Technologies GmbH from Dettingen and China FAW Group Co Ltd. have signed a contract for the development and supply of fuel cell modules. The prototypes of the "NM12-Single" platform will be used in a new fuel cell vehicle from FAW's premium brand "Hongqi." The modules are suitable for passenger car and light commercial vehicle applications. Hongqi shuttle vehicles equipped with EKPO fuel cell stacks were already used during the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and proved their reliability under extreme weather conditions. China is an important future market for EKPO, says CEO Carole Brinati. The company, part of ElringKlinger AG, established a Chinese subsidiary in 2022 and has built up extensive development and production capacities. According to the company, FAW is one of China's oldest and largest automotive manufacturers, headquartered in Changchun, Jilin Province, in northern China. The Hongqi L-series limousine will be used as the official vehicle for celebrations and events.

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(Austria) According to media reports, the South Tyrol regional government will focus on electromobility in the future and intends to phase out hydrogen in the private transportation sector. According to the RAI news agency , the region's vehicle fleet will not be expanded. South Tyrol's regional councilor for mobility, Daniel Alfreider, stated that this is a response to developments in the global automotive industry. The region currently owns ten hydrogen-powered cars. These vehicles were purchased by the regional public transport company, SASA AG, and financed with EU funds. The Hyundai Nexo vehicles, used by the region and its companies, are the first and last of their kind in the fleet. Alfreider explained that they have recognized the automotive industry's shift towards "fully electric" vehicles for private mobility, rather than hydrogen. However, the region intends to continue using hydrogen technology in public transportation and heavy goods vehicles. Five hydrogen refueling stations are planned for the Brenner motorway. The funding for these stations comes from the EU's recovery fund. SASA has 13 electric buses and twelve hydrogen-powered buses in its fleet of around 400 buses.

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(Norway) GHC SAOC, a subsidiary of the Indian conglomerate Acme Cleantech Solutions Pvt. Ltd., will supply ammonia to the Norwegian fertilizer company Yara International ASA. A corresponding agreement was signed in March after 18 months of negotiations. The contract covers the delivery of 100.000 tons per year. The energy carrier is to be produced in the Sultanate of Oman and is expected to be delivered from 2027 onwards. Acme announced its plans to build an ammonia plant in Oman in 2021. The site is the special economic zone in the port of Duqm. According to initial statements, the electrolyzer will have a capacity of 300 megawatts in its first phase, and Yara will now serve as the anchor customer, says Ashwani Dudeja, Director of the ACME Group. The final expansion is expected to produce 900.000 tons of ammonia annually; when the plans were announced, the figure was 1,2 million tons. The electricity will be generated by photovoltaic power plants.

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Photos
iStock / © Danil Melekhin