What's also important... TICKER (week 17)

Germany: Progress report from the German-Norwegian Hydrogen Task Force +++ USA: Plug on track for 40 tons of hydrogen production +++ Germany: Wind farm for hydrogen production in Bad Lauchstädt nearing completion +++ Chile: Hydrogen joint venture to decarbonize mining +++ Brazil: Linde installs 5 MW electrolyzer +++ Germany: RNV opens hydrogen filling station +++ Germany: Sunfire conducts FEED study for 500 MW hydrogen project +++ Morocco: OCP Group and Fortescue plan to produce green hydrogen in Morocco +++ Netherlands: GES and Provaris to build new hydrogen import facility in the Port of Rotterdam +++ Canada: Green light for World Energy GH2's Nujio'qonik project in Newfoundland +++ UK: AVL and Red Bull aim to develop high-power-density fuel cells +++ Germany: Frankfurt orders nine more hydrogen buses from Solaris +++ Australia: $34 million in funding for hydrogen research +++ DISCOUNT promotion: Your advertisement on the PtX portal

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

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(Germany) Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Robert Habeck, together with Norwegian Minister for Energy Terje Åsland, presented the progress report of the German-Norwegian Hydrogen Task Force and a roadmap for the expected hydrogen demand in Germany. The report also highlights the relevant instruments designed to stimulate hydrogen demand in Germany. A decision on the concept for a transport route is expected by the end of the year to implement the hydrogen infrastructure for imports from Norway to Germany. The project manager appointed by the German-Norwegian Hydrogen Task Force in January 2024 is tasked with expediting this process and further supporting close collaboration with industry.

The progress report (three pages) and the "Roadmap on expected hydrogen off-take in Germany in the German-Norwegian Context" (six pages) are each available free of charge in English as PDFs.

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(USA) Plug Power Inc. has brought its hydrogen production facilities in Georgia and Tennessee up to full capacity. Production in Georgia is at 15 tons per day and in Tennessee at 10 tons. This means the company has reached its planned production of 25 tons of liquid hydrogen and can meet approximately 50 percent of customer demand. The transport fleet now comprises 40 cryogenic trailers, says Andy Marsh, CEO of Plug. The company's Louisiana plant (a joint venture with Olin Corporation) is expected to deliver 15 tons of liquid green hydrogen daily until the end of the third quarter of 2024, bringing the total production volume to 40 tons.

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(Germany) At the Bad Lauchstädt energy park, turbine manufacturer Vestas has installed the final rotor blade for the eight-turbine wind farm. The electricity generated will be used for hydrogen production. Terrawatt Planungsgesellschaft mbH began preparing the access roads and assembly areas, as well as constructing the foundations, in April 2023. The first tower sections, nacelles, and rotor blades of the Vestas "V 162-6.2 MW" model were delivered in late summer of last year. Assembly began in October, and the first wind turbine was connected to the grid in January 2024. Since then, the remaining turbines have been installed and connected. The total investment amounted to 73 million euros. Parallel to the construction of the wind farm, which has a combined installed capacity of 50 megawatts and is expected to generate up to 145 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, a substation was built and commissioned. This allows the electricity to be fed into the general power grid until the electrolysis plant is completed. Once the electrolyzer is completed, the green electricity will primarily be used directly for electrolysis, with only any excess generated being fed into the grid. The hydrogen will be transported to the Total Energies refinery in Central Germany via a converted natural gas pipeline. The electrolyzer is expected to begin trial operation in mid-2025, with regular operation commencing at the end of 2025.

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(Chile) Ohmium International Inc., a US developer of PEM electrolyzers, plans to collaborate with the Chilean company H2 Green Mining to develop green hydrogen projects. H2 Green Mining is a joint venture between Susterra, a subsidiary of the engineering firm Pares & Alvarez, and the energy consulting firm Star Energy Partners. The plan is to develop green hydrogen projects for the mining sector in Chile. A pilot project will initially involve building a 20-megawatt plant, which will later be scaled up to 200 megawatts. The plant will be located in the city of Calama in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. The hydrogen will be used for the copper smelting process and other thermal processes in the mines, as well as for refueling trucks transporting minerals to the nearby port in Mejillones. According to Ohmium, it has a global green hydrogen project pipeline of more than two gigawatts across three continents.

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(Brazil) British industrial gas manufacturer Linde plc plans to increase green hydrogen production in Brazil. According to the company, its subsidiary White Martins will build, own, and operate a second electrolyzer. The five-megawatt alkaline pressurized electrolyzer plant will be installed in Jacareí, São Paulo, and powered by electricity from local solar and wind energy projects. The revenue will go to glass manufacturer Cebrace, which intends to use the green hydrogen to reduce emissions from its melting furnaces. Furthermore, Linde will meet the demand for competitive green hydrogen from existing and new customers in the metal, food, and chemical industries. The new plant is scheduled to go into operation in 2025. White Martins was the first company in South America to produce green hydrogen on an industrial scale with international certification at its plant in the state of Pernambuco in 2022.

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(Germany) Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr GmbH (RNV) has commissioned a publicly accessible hydrogen refueling station from H2 Mobility in Heidelberg. According to the company, the station has a capacity of 1.000 kilograms per day. This will allow the three dispensers to refuel RNV's 27 fuel cell range-extender articulated buses, and, as part of the phased commissioning, also passenger cars (700 bar) and trucks (350 bar), presumably starting in May 2024. The station will also be used by the municipal waste management company Abfallwirtschaft Heidelberg, which has had a zero-emission fuel cell vehicle in its fleet since March 2023. The refueling station was developed, built, and is operated by H2 Mobility. The Baden-Württemberg Ministry of the Environment funded the €24,5 million project with €16,7 million. H2 Mobility plans to build and operate further refueling stations in the region: in Mannheim by summer 2024, in Frankenthal by the end of 2024, and in Ludwigshafen by the beginning of 2025.

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The Dresden-based electrolysis company Sunfire GmbH is conducting a Front-End Engineering Study (FEED) for a 500-megawatt hydrogen project. The project, commissioned by an unnamed client, is scheduled to go into operation in 2028. The study defines operating parameters, site requirements, and implementation guidelines, providing the client with the basis for a transparent and comprehensive Final Investment Decision (FID). The electricity for hydrogen production will be generated using solar and wind power. Furthermore, Sunfire reports that it is continuing to expand its production capacities. Last year, the company launched automated series production of its pressure alkaline electrolyzers. Sunfire currently has an order backlog of 700 megawatts of electrolysis capacity.

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(Morocco) Moroccan fertilizer producer OCP Group and Australian project developer Fortescue Energy, part of the technology company Fortescue Ltd., plan to supply green hydrogen, ammonia, and fertilizers to Morocco, Europe, and international markets through a joint venture. The project includes the development of production facilities and research centers in North Africa: an integrated production plant for green ammonia and green fertilizer, encompassing renewable energy, power generation, electrolysis, ammonification, and fertilizer production; the manufacture of green technology and equipment; an R&D and technology center adjacent to Mohammed VI Polytechnic University near Marrakech; and collaboration in developing venture capital funds to encourage investment in key technological advancements. The joint venture is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. The OCP Group reported revenues of nine billion dollars for 2023 and employs 20.000 people. Its investment strategy also includes the development of renewable energy projects. This envisages a total cumulative investment of approximately $13 billion between 2023 and 2027, which should enable the group to use 100 percent renewable energy and achieve full CO2 neutrality by 2040.

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(Netherlands) Global Energy Storage (GES) and the Australian company Provaris Energy Ltd. have signed a cooperation agreement to develop a facility for importing gaseous hydrogen at the GES terminal in Rotterdam. This facility will be suitable for both chilled ammonia and compressed hydrogen. Onward transport will be via inland waterway vessels, rail, trucks, and the H2 network (HyNetwork) operated by the long-distance gas network operator Gasunie. A feasibility study, to be conducted later this year, will examine, among other things, the technical and economic viability of loading and unloading Provaris' H2Neo compressed hydrogen transporters, as well as storage, connection to the HyNetwork network, risks and safety, emissions, and other permitting and environmental aspects. The project also includes joint marketing, with Provaris responsible for transporting the hydrogen and GES for unloading and injecting it into the hydrogen network.

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(Canada) The government of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador has approved World Energy GH2's Nujio'qonik project following a review of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for an integrated hydrogen project. World Energy GH2, together with Stantec, has been working on the approval process for the past 22 months. The EIS and subsequent amendment include more than 30 baseline studies and environmental impact assessment plans. Project partner Qalipu First Nation also participated in the process, conducting consultations and preparing a study on traditional land and resource use. A 27-member panel, representing 18 provincial and federal ministries, will continue to monitor the project even after construction begins. "The next steps are to update our plans, if necessary, to meet the provincial requirements and to obtain the initial permits to begin construction," says Sean Leet, Managing Director and CEO of World Energy GH2. The final investment decision is expected in early 2025.

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(Great Britain) The Austrian technology company AVL and Red Bull Advanced Technologies, the high-performance division of the Red Bull Racing Group, plan to develop fuel cells with "ultra-high power density." This should make the technology two-thirds lighter than conventional fuel cell systems. Joint studies have shown that drastic improvements in gravimetric power density are achievable: the projected values ​​are six kilowatts per kilogram at the stack level and two kilowatts at the system level. The companies cite high-performance applications in the automotive, motorsport, and aerospace sectors. The project demonstrates "how cutting-edge technology from Formula 1 can contribute to solving the world's challenges," says Rob Gray, Technical Director, Red Bull Advanced Technologies.

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(Germany) In-der-City-Bus GmbH (ICB), the operator of public transport in Frankfurt am Main, has ordered nine Urbino 18 hydrogen buses from the Polish bus manufacturer Solaris. Solaris already operates hydrogen-powered buses in the city, delivered since 2022. Delivery of the articulated buses from this latest order is scheduled for July 2025. The ICB fleet currently comprises five battery-electric buses and 23 hydrogen vehicles. According to the company, Solaris' market share in the European hydrogen segment reached 44,5 percent in 2023. It has delivered 200 hydrogen buses to 24 European cities to date. The order book includes orders for a further 600 hydrogen-powered vehicles, scheduled for delivery between 2024 and 2026.

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(Australia) The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is awarding 59,1 million Australian dollars (36 million euros) in grants to 21 projects supporting research, development, and commercialization activities for renewable hydrogen and low-emission iron and steel production. The funds will go to university research teams, organizations, start-ups, and companies. “We are supporting Australian technological innovations that contribute to building our clean industries and underpin our ambition to become a renewable energy superpower,” said Darren Miller, CEO of ARENA. Initially, 25 million dollars were allocated to each of the two funding priorities. Due to the quality of the applications, ARENA has increased the total funding to 59,1 million dollars. Grants for each successful hydrogen applicant range from 1,3 million to 5 million dollars. Funding for R&D projects is provided in two phases: an initial core research phase, followed by a commercialization phase aimed at scaling and demonstrating the application of research breakthroughs in the market. Hydrogen research funding aims to accelerate the commercialization of renewable hydrogen through innovations in hydrogen production, storage, and distribution. In this segment, 13 institutions will receive $34,2 million in funding for projects with total project costs of nearly $100 million.

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Photos
iStock / © Danil Melekhin