ORLEN to launch over 100 hydrogen stations in Central Europe
HYDROGEN EAGLE investment program eyes 54, 22 and 26 hydrogen refuelling stations to be built in Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, respectively.
Poland’s ORLEN Group announced the launching of HYDROGEN EAGLE, an investment program to develop an international chain of hydrogen hubs powered by renewable energy sources and build facilities to convert municipal waste into zero- and low-emission hydrogen. The project also provides for the construction of more than 100 hydrogen refuelling stations for individual, public and cargo transport, according to a company’s press release.
The scheme, covering Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, will allow ORLEN Group to achieve annual hydrogen production capacity of approximately 50,000 tonnes by 2030. As for the filling infrastructure, 54, 22 and 26 hydrogen refuelling stations will be built in Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, respectively.
The program provides for the construction of six new RES-powered hydrogen hubs: two in Poland, two in the Czech Republic, and one in Slovakia, including plans to build a hydrogen electrolysis plant to which electricity will be supplied from the Baltic Power offshore wind farm. The scheme also envisages the construction of three plants for converting municipal waste into low-emission hydrogen, to be located in Płock and Ostrołęka in Poland and in the Czech Republic.
“The ORLEN Group’s bold and innovative projects implemented in Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia can make it Central Europe’s leader in hydrogen fuel. We know that this is extremely important both from the business and environmental perspective. Entering the market of sustainable hydrogen production will give us competitive advantages in the retail, refining and power generation business in the decades to come. It will also allow us to significantly reduce our carbon footprint, marking an important step towards achieving carbon neutrality in 2050,’ said Daniel Obajtek, President of the PKN ORLEN Management Board.
HYDROGEN EAGLE marks another stage of investment in low-emission hydrogen transport at the ORLEN Group. In Germany, pilot hydrogen refuelling points are in operation at the Group’s service stations in Wolfsburg and Müllheim. PKN ORLEN also launched a tender procedure for the construction of Poland’s first hydrogen refuelling stations, to be located in Poznań and Katowice. There are also plans to build six H2 stations in the Czech Republic.
