More than EUR 142 million for Polenergia’s green hydrogen plant
H2Silesia, Polenergia’s hydrogen project, could receive up to EUR 142.77 million in funding for implementation. This is the result of a notification decision by the European Commission.
The project involves the construction of a large-scale green hydrogen plant with a capacity of about 105 MW, which will be able to produce about 13,000 tonnes of the raw material annually. Polenergia is the only Polish company covered by the Hy2Infra programme. Renewable hydrogen to be produced through H2Silesia, among others, is a natural extension of Polenergia’s value chain.
The European Commission’s notification decision was issued under the IPCEI Hy2Infra programme and confirms funding of up to EUR 142.77 million. This is the maximum ceiling of state aid for the H2Silesia project, which is being implemented by Polenergia’s hydrogen team.
– This is a very important announcement for the market and our investors. The European Commission’s decision significantly increases the value of the project. Hydrogen as a green energy carrier can definitely accelerate the departure from fossil fuels and the construction of a zero-emission economy. It is the fuel of the future,’ says Iwona Sierżęga, member of the Management Board of Polenergia S.A.
The project in Upper Silesia aims to provide renewable hydrogen for heavy industry and zero-emission transport. At the same time, it can support the region’s energy transition linked to the extraction and use of fossil fuels.
The European Commission has launched the Hy2Infra programme under the IPCEI (Important Projects of Common European Interest) initiative. Seven Member States are participating: Poland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Slovakia. The Commission expects increased hydrogen supply to accelerate the European Green Deal.
– The construction of large-scale renewable hydrogen generation facilities is a very important step in the decarbonisation of industry. By generating hydrogen using renewable energy sources, we are integrating the energy industry into sectors for which electrification was previously very difficult or impossible. Green hydrogen also allows for independence from imported energy carriers. This is an added value for customers who are facing major energy transition challenges today,” emphasises Emilia Makarewicz, Polenergia H2Silesia board member.
The Hy2Infra programme, which includes the construction of hydrogen infrastructure, is an integral part of Europe’s hydrogen strategy to contribute to achieving climate neutrality by 2050. Final decisions on the approval of the programme’s funding and its amount will be taken at national level.
H2Silesia is one of several hydrogen projects that Polenergia Group is implementing as part of its development strategy. The most advanced of these is H2HUB Nowa Sarzyna, located in the Podkarpacie region. The project, located on the premises of the Nowa Sarzyna CHP Plant, involves the construction of a 5 MW green hydrogen production facility. The electrolyser in Nowa Sarzyna will be able to produce up to 90 kg of green hydrogen per hour. The plan also includes the construction of two publicly accessible hydrogen refuelling stations in Nowa Sarzyna and Rzeszów, for which Polenergia received funding from the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management.
Polenergia, is Poland’s largest private energy group, which consists of vertically integrated companies operating in the field of energy generation from renewable and low-carbon sources, as well as electricity distribution and trading. The group is involved in the development of onshore wind farms, photovoltaic farms, electromobility and the hydrogen transition. Polenergia’s strategic project is the construction of wind farms in the Baltic Sea with a total capacity of up to 3,000 MW in cooperation with Norway’s Equinor.
Source: PortalMorski.pl
