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

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

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

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Cologne-based company Hylane is expanding its rental fleet of fuel cell vehicles and has signed purchase agreements for 78 additional trucks. 26 of the new vehicles are from manufacturer Iveco, the companies announced. This brings the total number of rentable heavy trucks to 122. A cooperation agreement also exists regarding the workshop network. While the existing vehicles in the Hylane fleet are refueled at a pressure of 350 bar, Iveco uses a refueling pressure of 700 bar. The Iveco FCEV tractor units have a range of up to 800 kilometers. The tanks can hold up to 70 kilograms of hydrogen and power two fuel cells with a combined output of approximately 200 kilowatts. The permissible gross vehicle weight of the vehicle is 44 tons. All vehicles procured were co-financed by the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport under the directive on the promotion of light and heavy commercial vehicles with alternative climate-friendly drives and associated refueling and charging infrastructure (KsNI).

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RWE AG has received a funding commitment of €4,7 million from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia for the construction of a five-megawatt electrolysis plant. The total investment for the project amounts to approximately €25 million. This includes not only the electrolysis plant itself, located in the Mühlenerft industrial park in the town of Bedburg, but also a filling station for distributing the green hydrogen by trailer. Bedburg is providing the land. However, a "key prerequisite for the realization of the hydrogen project" is securing long-term, economically viable offtake agreements with customers in the surrounding area. Potential applications for the green hydrogen include logistics companies within the industrial park and local public transport vehicles. Bedburg is "not expected to be connected to the core hydrogen network planned by the German government for the time being." Therefore, the hydrogen can only be distributed via tanker trucks. The facilities are scheduled to go into operation in 2026.

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Gasnetz Hamburg has expanded its fleet with the addition of the Opel Vivaro Hydrogen and Toyota Mirai hydrogen vehicles. After gaining approximately 60.000 kilometers of experience with a Hyundai Nexo and a Mercedes GLC F-Cell, the city's network operator stated that it is "convinced by this alternative drive system." The main advantages over conventional electric cars are fast refueling, climate-neutral operation, and greater range. The van has a range of 400 kilometers, and the Toyota over 450 kilometers. The Opel has a payload capacity of one ton and ample storage space for equipment, tools, and spare parts. The Toyota, on the other hand, will be used for customer visits and other business trips. "With these vehicles, we want to gain experience with hydrogen mobility within the company," says Michael Dammann, Technical Director of Gasnetz Hamburg. The company plans to supply industrial plants, port logistics facilities, and filling stations with hydrogen via the "HH-WIN" hydrogen network starting in 2027. Gasnetz Hamburg also intends to test the future role of hydrogen in building heating in a pilot area in Harburg. The company is currently inspecting the materials and components at 16 residential and commercial connections to prepare for the conversion of the existing natural gas supply to hydrogen starting in 2027. The "H2-Switch100" project aims to develop solutions that can ensure a reliable supply even for older buildings that are difficult to renovate and for commercial energy needs. While converting the natural gas pipelines to pure hydrogen operation is "not a solution for all of Hamburg," says Dammann, "continuing to use an existing infrastructure with green gas can be a sensible addition to options such as district heating expansion and heat pumps in certain building structures and locations."

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China's first hydrogen-powered vessel has completed its maiden voyage in the city of Yichang in central China's Hubei Province. Named "Three Gorges Hydrogen Boat No. 1," the vessel features a steel and aluminum hull and has a draft of 3,2 meters, a length of 49,9 meters, and a beam of 10,4 meters. Powered by a 500-kilowatt fuel cell, the ship has a maximum range of 200 kilometers. It is intended for transport, patrol, and emergency operations in the Three Gorges Reservoir area and between the Three Gorges Gezhouba Dams. The vessel was jointly developed by China State Shipbuilding Corporation, China Yangtze Power Corporation, and Jianglong Shipbuilding, along with institutions such as the Wuhan Changjiang Ship Design Institute and the Three Gorges Navigation Authority. It is the first hydrogen-powered vessel 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 Plant. The facility can deliver 240 kilograms of hydrogen per hour.

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The 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 issued by the UK government's Net Zero Hydrogen Fund (NZHF) in March 2023. The funds now awarded will cover the FEED, design, and permitting work for the initial 500-megawatt phase, which will utilize surplus electricity from Scotland's offshore wind farms to produce renewable hydrogen. The study is expected to be completed in 2024, with the final investment decision anticipated in 2025. Full production capacity of three gigawatts is expected to be available in the 2030s.

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Everwind Fuels LLC is having its green ammonia production certified by CertifHy as "Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin" (RFNBO). This certification provides proof of the use of renewable energy in accordance with the European Union's Renewable Energy Directive (RED II). RFNBO is the world's strictest definition for green fuels and sets criteria for life-cycle emissions, renewable energy sources, mass balance, counting and measurement, sustainability, accounting, and the necessary processes and controls. Companies wishing to sell RFNBO in Europe must be certified to meet the legal obligations set out in RED II. Everwind Fuels plans to produce green hydrogen and ammonia in Nova Scotia, Canada, starting in 2025.

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Gentari Sdn. Bhd., the clean energy division of Malaysian oil giant Petronas, and AM Green, the Indian company founded by the Greenko Group founders, have signed an agreement with the state-owned Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC priv. Ltd.) to produce five million tons of green ammonia annually. This will require approximately one million tons of green hydrogen. Production will take place at an unspecified site in India. Exports of green ammonia to OECD markets such as Germany, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore are expected to begin by the end of 2025, the companies announced. The ammonia will be produced by AM Green Ammonia Holdings, while the electrolyzers will be supplied by AM Green Technology & Solutions. AM Green's subsidiary, AM Green Molecules, will also produce green methanol, green caustic soda, green chlorine, biofuels, and various downstream high-value green chemicals. Furthermore, AM Green will establish a joint venture with the Belgian company John Cockerill to manufacture electrolyzers in its subsidiary AM Green Technology & Solutions and will supply electrolyzers with a capacity of approximately 6,5 gigawatts to AM Green Ammonia by 2030.

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Chinese fuel cell company GWM-FTXT is putting 16 hydrogen-powered car transporters into operation, offering logistics services. The trucks were developed and manufactured by GWM-FTXT. Each vehicle can transport eight to ten cars and has a range of 400 kilometers. Compared to conventional diesel trucks, GWM-FTXT's hydrogen-powered car transporters offer higher performance, greater fuel efficiency, and reduced noise. GWM-FTXT has previously deployed various fuel cell vehicles in China, including heavy-duty trucks, buses, and vans. By the end of 2023, the company plans to introduce additional hydrogen-powered specialty vehicles, such as refrigerated trucks and sanitation vehicles. The Chinese government aims to have one million fuel cell vehicles on the road by 2030.

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US fuel cell technology developer and truck manufacturer Hyzon Motors Inc. is supplying 20 vehicles to the New Zealand-based TR Group. These will be equipped with 200-kilowatt fuel cell systems. The first two trucks are scheduled to be ready for commercial testing starting in March 2024 and will be used for up to three months. Following this, the TR Group can purchase the two test vehicles as well as an additional 18 retrofitted trucks, which will be assembled at Hyzon's plant in Melbourne, Australia. The New Zealand government is supporting the project, in part through its COVID Response and Recovery Fund. The TR Group is a rental and leasing partner for 6.200 heavy-duty tractor units in Australia and New Zealand. The company has a hydrogen supply agreement with Hiringa Energy.

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First Ammonia and Uniper have announced a collaboration to produce green ammonia in Texas. The plant will be located at First Ammonia's large-scale facility in Port of Victoria, Texas. According to the companies, this will be the first time high-temperature solid oxide electrolyzers (SOECs) from the Danish manufacturer Topsoe will be used. These electrolyzers 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 is scheduled to begin in 2026 and will be rapidly scaled up so that Uniper can supply industrial customers.

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Finnish company P2X Solutions Ltd. and Danisco Sweeteners Ltd., a subsidiary of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF), have signed an agreement under which the Finnish plant in Kotka will produce the sweetener xylitol using green hydrogen. Xylose and hydrogen are among the ingredients required for the production of xylitol. Starting in 2024, P2X Solutions' plant in Harjavalta will produce green hydrogen using renewable energy.

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The Clean Energy Partnership (CEP) has authorized Dekra, TÜV Rheinland, and TÜV Süd to test and certify hydrogen refueling stations. CEP was founded in 2002 by technology, oil, and energy companies, gas producers, and automotive manufacturers and suppliers to develop standards and norms for safe and efficient refueling on roads, railways, and waterways. Eight years ago, the standards for hydrogen refueling stations (SAE J2601) were incorporated into testing procedures for station certification. These are largely reflected in ISO 19880-1. Since then, the industry partners have advised refueling station manufacturers and operators. These responsibilities have now been transferred to Dekra and TÜV.

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Photos
iStock / © Danil Melekhin