Germany: Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania cut off from the H2 core network +++ Germany: TÜV Rheinland offers "H2-Ready" certification +++ Netherlands: X-Press puts methanol-powered feeder ship into operation +++ Greece: Metacon builds 30 MW electrolysis plant for Motor Oil +++ Germany: Kerpen to receive 26 H2 buses +++ India: Hygenco Green Energies explores hydrogen power plant options +++ Scotland: Hydrogen filling stations for the Czech Republic +++ DISCOUNT promotion: Your advertisement on the PtX portal
A selection of PtX topics summarized at the end of the week
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Graphic of the hydrogen transport pipelines planned by Ontras, the expansion to the north is missing. © Ontras Gastransporte GmbH
(Germany) At the end of July, Ontras Gastransporte GmbH announced its intended contribution to the development of the planned hydrogen core network. According to the company, it will begin "in a first step" with approximately 600 kilometers of pipelines in Central Germany. This would "initially connect the Leipzig region with the Central German Chemical Triangle, the industrial centers in Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony, the Berlin area, and the industrial arc of Meissen." This announcement reportedly "surprised" Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's Minister of Economic Affairs, Reinhard Meyer (SPD), according to a report by the North German Broadcasting Corporation (NDR ). The application submitted by the long-distance gas pipeline operator had included Rostock as part of a connection to Central Germany. However, the planned hydrogen pipeline between Glasewitz near Güstrow and Ketzin in Brandenburg, and further towards Saxony, "apparently will not be built." In response to an inquiry from NDR, Ontras stated that it is continuing with the preliminary planning. “Originally, the north-south route was intended to connect Rostock to the first hydrogen network. During the development of the core H2 network, it became clear that the initially planned conversion of natural gas pipelines was no longer suitable for the indicated transport volume on this section, and that a new pipeline would have been necessary,” the company was quoted as saying by NDR. The pipeline is part of an IPCEI (Important Project of Common European Interest) project, for which the EU approved multi-million euro funding in July.
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TÜV Rheinland certifies materials as “H2-Ready” for use with compressed hydrogen. © TÜV Rheinland / Shutterstock
(Germany) TÜV Rheinland offers an "H2-Ready" certification according to the "H2.23" standard. This certifies that materials such as pipelines and pressure vessels in large industrial plants are suitable for use with pressurized hydrogen. Hydrogen can penetrate materials, making them brittle and damaging them. According to TÜV Rheinland, after successful certification, manufacturers can use the "H2-Ready" mark to demonstrate to customers that their materials are suitable for pressurized hydrogen. In Germany, there has been a lack of recognized regulations for the long-term and safe use of components with pressurized hydrogen. "We are filling this gap with the 'H2-Ready' certification," says Gunther Sproesser, materials expert at TÜV Rheinland. They have already certified several materials from the welding fittings manufacturer Busch + Kunz.
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The “Eco Maestro 3”: X-Press chooses the port of Rotterdam as the home for its future feeder fleet of 14 methanol-powered ships. © X-press Feeders
(Netherlands) The X-Press Feeders Group has commissioned its first methanol-powered vessel in the Port of Rotterdam. The "Eco Maestro" is a dual-fuel container ship. Rotterdam will become the home port for all fourteen ships in the X-Press Feeders fleet, as an agreement has been reached there allowing the Dutch fuel supplier OCI Global to bunker green methanol in tankers operated by Unibarge and TankMatch. Feeder ships are specialized cargo vessels that act as suppliers and distributors for large container ships and seaports. X-Press Feeders is part of the container feeder company Sea Consortium Pte. Ltd., headquartered in Singapore. The company has reportedly signed a contract with the Taiwanese container shipping company Evergreen Feeders to operate two European routes: The Green Finland (GFX) route runs from Rotterdam to Antwerp, Helsinki (Finland), Tallinn (Estonia), and Hamina Kotka (Finland). Green Baltic (GBX) includes Rotterdam and Antwerp, as well as Klaipėda (Lithuania) and Riga (Latvia). X-Press Feeders signed the contracts with the ports in April.
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Metacon builds 30 MW electrolyzer for Motor Oil refinery in Corinth. © Motor Oil Group
(Greece) The Swedish company Metacon AB (publ) is supplying a 30-megawatt alkaline electrolysis plant to Motor Oil (Hellas) Corinth Refineries SA. The order is worth €19,8 million. This also includes modifications to allow for a second expansion of the plant by 20 megawatts to a total capacity of 50 megawatts. The stacks will be supplied by the Chinese company PERIC Hydrogen Technologies Co., Ltd., and the plant will be assembled at Metacon's factory in Patras, Greece. According to the company, the order marks "the beginning of technological cooperation between Metacon and Siemens" in both the development of the next generation of industrial electrolyzers and the implementation of leading technologies in Metacon's European manufacturing. Metacon develops and produces energy systems for the production of green hydrogen, complete electrolysis plants, and hydrogen refueling stations. The Motor Oil Group, consisting of 92 individual companies, has branches in eight countries, operates a refinery in Corinth, markets petroleum products and operates 1.500 petrol stations in Greece and abroad.
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Fuel cell bus “Urbino 12” from Solaris. © Solaris
(Germany) Rhein-Erft-Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH Kerpen has ordered 26 Urbino 12 hydrogen buses from the Polish bus manufacturer Solaris. The first two vehicles have been delivered, with the remaining buses to follow in 2025. The 12-meter buses are equipped with a 70-kilowatt fuel cell and high-performance batteries to support the fuel cell operation during peak loads. Solaris claims to be the "largest manufacturer of hydrogen buses in Europe" and achieved a market share of 44,5 percent in 2023. Solaris' Urbino buses are already operating in numerous German cities, including Cologne, Wuppertal, Frankfurt, and the greater Munich area. Further contracts with cities such as Krefeld, Güstrow, Groß-Gerau, Hamburg, Gummersbach, and Duisburg are in preparation.
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Hygenco Green Energies, with the support of JICA, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Mitsubishi Power to supply green hydrogen. © Hygenco Green Energies
(India) India's Hygenco Green Energies pvt. Ltd., together with Japanese power plant builder Mitsubishi Power, will explore the possibility of supplying combined cycle gas turbine (GTCC) power plants fueled by green hydrogen/ammonia. Mitsubishi Power is developing hydrogen and ammonia combustion technologies to decarbonize existing GTCC power plants and replace natural gas. The project is supported by the Indian branch of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) as a financial backer and through technical cooperation. Hygenco intends to develop and deploy commercially viable plants for the production of green hydrogen and green ammonia under a build-own-operate or gas-as-a-service model.
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Logan Energy will supply the refueling infrastructure for ten hydrogen buses that will be deployed southwest of Prague. © Logan Energy
(Scotland) Scottish hydrogen technology company Logan Energy will support the development of a refueling infrastructure for ten hydrogen buses in the Czech Republic. Logan Energy will supply the Czech contractor ČEZ ESCO with the equipment to install refueling stations in the town of Mníšek pod Brdy, about 27 kilometers southwest of Prague, by the end of 2025. The hydrogen used will be green, produced using hydropower. The vehicles will have a range of approximately 32 kilometers. Logan Energy will develop, manufacture, supply, and maintain the entire equipment package for the project. This includes electrolyzers, storage tanks, compressors, refueling systems, and other services for the company. The contract value was not disclosed. Edinburgh-based Logan is backed by various investors, including Scottish Enterprise and Singapore's Lanxing New Energy.
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Photos
iStock / © Danil Melekhin
