What’s also important… – TICKER (week 45)

Cologne: Hylane buys H2 trucks from Iveco + + + Bedburg: RWE is building a 5 MW electrolyser + + + Hamburg: Network operator invests in additional H2 vehicles + + + China: Maiden voyage of the first hydrogen-powered ship + + + Scotland: Whorley conducts FEED study for 3 GW project + + + Canada: Everwind has ammonia production certified + + + India: Consortium plans to produce five million tonnes of ammonia + + + China: GWM-FTXT develops FC car transporter + + + USA: Hyzon delivers 20 trucks to New Zealand + + + USA: First Ammonia and Uniper want to produce green ammonia in Texas + + + Finland: P2X Solutions supplies hydrogen to Danisco Sweeteners + + + Berlin: TÜV and Dekra check H2 filling stations + + + DISCOUNT promotion: Your ADVERTISING on the PtX portal

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

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The Cologne-based company Hylane is expanding its rental car fleet for fuel cell vehicles and has concluded purchase agreements for 78 additional trucks. 26 of the new vehicles come from the manufacturer Iveco, the companies said. This brings the total number of heavy trucks available for rent to 122 vehicles. There is also cooperation in the workshop network. While the previous vehicles in the Hylane fleet are refueled at a pressure of 350 bar, Iveco relies on a refueling pressure of 700 bar. Iveco's FCEV tractor units had a range of up to 800 kilometers. The tanks could hold up to 70 kilograms of hydrogen and fed two fuel cells with a good 200 kilowatts of power. The permissible total weight of the vehicle is 44 tons. All vehicles purchased were co-financed by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport as part of the directive on the promotion of light and heavy commercial vehicles with alternative climate-friendly drives and the associated refueling and charging infrastructure (KsNI).

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RWE AG has received a funding commitment of 4,7 million euros from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia for the construction of an electrolysis plant with an output of five megawatts. The investment volume for the entire project amounts to around 25 million euros. In addition to the electrolysis in the Mühlenerft industrial park in the city of Bedburg, this also includes a filling station to distribute the green hydrogen by trailer. Bedburg provides the space. However, a “central prerequisite for the realization of the hydrogen project” is that long-term, economically viable purchase contracts are concluded with customers in the area. Logistics companies in the industrial park and local public transport vehicles could be suitable areas of application for green hydrogen. Bedburg “will probably not be connected to the hydrogen core network planned by the federal government for the time being”. This means that the energy source can only be distributed via tankers. The systems are scheduled to go into operation in 2026.

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Gasnetz Hamburg has expanded its fleet to include the Opel Vivaro Hydrogen and Toyota Mirai hydrogen vehicles. After around 60.000 kilometers of experience with a Hyundai Nexo and a Mercedes GLC F-Cell, the city network operator explained that they were “convinced of the drive alternative.” The main advantages over conventional electric cars are quick refueling, climate-neutral operation and longer ranges. The transporter has a range of 400 kilometers and the Toyota over 450 kilometers. The Opel has a tonne of payload and sufficient storage space for devices, tools and spare parts. The Toyota, on the other hand, is used for customer visits and other business trips. “We want to use the cars to gain experience in hydrogen mobility within the company,” says technical managing director Michael Dammann from Gasnetz Hamburg. From 2027 onwards, the “HH-WIN” hydrogen network will be used to supply industrial companies, port logistics systems and petrol stations. Gasnetz Hamburg wants to test the role hydrogen will play in heating buildings in the future in a pilot area in Harburg. There, the company is now checking the materials and components at 16 domestic and commercial connections in order to be able to convert the existing natural gas supply to hydrogen from 2027. The “H2-Switch100” project would develop solutions that can ensure supply even in old buildings that are difficult to renovate and with commercial energy needs. Converting the natural gas pipelines to pure hydrogen operation is “not a solution for the whole of Hamburg,” says Dammann. “However, continuing to use an existing infrastructure with green gas can be a useful addition to options such as district heating expansion and heat pumps in certain development structures and locations.

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China's first hydrogen-powered ship has completed its maiden voyage in the city of Yichang in central China's Hubei province. The “Three Gorges Hydrogen Boat No. 1” consists of a steel-aluminum construction and has a draft of 3,2 meters, is 49,9 meters long and 10,4 meters wide. Powered by a 500 kilowatt fuel cell, the ship has a maximum range of 200 kilometers. It would be used for transport, patrol and emergency operations in the Three Gorges Reservoir area and between the Three Gorges-Gezhouba Dams. The ship was jointly developed by China State Shipbuilding Corporation, China Yangtze Power Corporation and Jianglong Shipbuilding, as well as institutions such as the Wuhan Changjiang Ship Design Institute and the Three Gorges Shipping Authority. It is the first hydrogen-powered ship to be certified by the Chinese classification society. Compared to ships with conventional fuel propulsion, it will replace 103,16 tons of heating oil. China's first hydrogen production and refueling station in the inland port is powered by electricity from the Three Gorges Power Station. The system can deliver 240 kilograms of hydrogen per hour.

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American-Australian engineering firm Whorley Group has been awarded the Front End Engineering Design (FEED) contract by Statera for the first phase of the 3 gigawatt Kintore hydrogen project in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Kintore Hydrogen successfully participated in a tender by the British government's Net Zero Hydrogen Fund (NZHF) in March 2023. The funds now received will be used for FEED, planning and approval work for the first 500 megawatt phase. Surplus electricity from Scotland's offshore wind farms will be used to produce renewable hydrogen. The study is scheduled to be completed in 2024, and the final investment decision will be made in 2025. The full production capacity of three gigawatts is expected to be available in the 2030s.

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Everwind Fuels LLC has its green ammonia production certified by CertifHy as “renewable liquid and gaseous fuels of non-biological origin (RFNBO). This provides evidence of the use of renewable energies in accordance with the eligibility for the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) of the European Union. The RFNBO is the world's strictest definition of green fuels and sets criteria for life cycle emissions, renewable energy sources, mass balancing, counting and measurement, sustainability, auditing and the necessary processes and controls. Companies that want to sell RFNBO in Europe must be certified to meet the legal obligations set out in RED II. Everwind Fuels wants to produce green hydrogen and ammonia in Nova Scotia, Canada from 2025.

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Gentari Sdn. Bhd., the clean energy division of the Malaysian oil multinational Petronas, and the Indian company AM Green, initiated by the Greenko Group founders, have an agreement with the government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC priv. Ltd.) to produce five million tonnes annually signed in green ammonia. This requires around a million tonnes of green hydrogen. Production will take place at an unspecified location in India. Exports of green ammonia to OECD markets such as Germany, Japan, South Korea and Singapore are expected to begin in late 2025, the companies said. The ammonia is produced by AM Green Ammonia Holdings, the electrolyzers come from AM Green Technology & Solutions. AM subsidiary AM Green Molecules will also produce green methanol, green caustic soda, green chlorine, biofuels and various downstream high-value green chemicals. In addition, AM Green will establish a joint venture with the Belgian company John Cockerill to produce electrolyzers in its subsidiary AM Green Technology & Solutions and will supply electrolyzers with a capacity of approximately 2030 gigawatts to AM Green Ammonia by 6,5.

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The Chinese fuel cell company GWM-FTXT puts 16 hydrogen-powered car transporters into operation and thus offers logistics services. The trucks were developed and manufactured by GWM-FTXT. Each vehicle can carry eight to ten cars and has a range of 400 kilometers. Compared to traditional diesel trucks, GWM-FTXT's hydrogen-powered car transporters offer higher performance, higher fuel efficiency and produce less noise. GWM-FTXT had previously deployed various fuel cell vehicles in China, including heavy trucks, buses and vans. The company plans to introduce additional hydrogen-powered special vehicles such as refrigerated vehicles and sanitary vehicles by the end of 2023. The Chinese government wants to put one million fuel cell vehicles on the road by 2030.

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The US developer of fuel cell technology and truck manufacturer Hyzon Motors Inc. is supplying New Zealand's TR Group with 20 vehicles. They will be equipped with 200 kilowatt fuel cell systems. The first two trucks are expected to be ready for commercial testing from March 2024 and will be used for up to three months. The TR Group could then purchase the two test vehicles and take delivery of a further 18 retrofitted trucks, which will be assembled at the Hyzon factory in Melbourne, Australia. The New Zealand government is supporting the project from, among other things, the Covid Response and Recovery Fund. TR Group is a rental and leasing partner for 6.200 heavy tractor units in Australia and New Zealand. The company has entered into an offtake agreement for hydrogen supply with Hiringa Energy.

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First Ammonia and Uniper have announced a collaboration to produce green ammonia in Texas. The location is the large-scale First Ammonia plant in the Port of Victoria, Texas. According to the company, high-temperature solid oxide electrolyzers (SOEC) from the Danish manufacturer Topsoe are being used for the first time, which are 30 percent more efficient than conventional electrolyzers and require less electricity. Each of the 100 megawatt modules will initially produce up to 100.000 tons of green ammonia per year. Production should begin in 2026 and be expanded quickly so that Uniper can supply industrial customers.

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The Finnish P2X Solutions Ltd. and Danisco Sweeteners Ltd., a subsidiary of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF), have signed a contract for the Finnish factory in Kotka to produce the sweetener xylitol with green hydrogen in the future. For the production of xylitol, xylose and hydrogen are required, among other things. From 2024, the P2X Solutions plant in Harjavalta will produce green hydrogen using renewable energies.

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The Clean Energy Partnership (CEP) has trained Dekra, TÜV Rheinland and TÜV Süd to test and accept hydrogen filling stations. CEP was founded in 2002 by technology, oil and energy companies, gas producers, automobile manufacturers and suppliers to develop standards and norms for safe, efficient refueling on road, rail and water. Eight years ago, the standards for hydrogen filling stations (SAE J2601) were transferred to tests for acceptance of the stations. These can mainly be found in ISO 19880-1. The industry partners have since advised gas station manufacturers and operators. These tasks have now been handed over to Dekra and TÜV.

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DISCOUNT promotion: Your ADVERTISING on the PtX portal

Photos
iStock / © Danil Melekhin