15 Million EUR for Thuringian TH2ECO Hydrogen Project
Up to EUR 15 million have been pledged for our Thuringian TH2ECO hydrogen project as part of the German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV)’s National Investment Program for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology. At the 2nd HyLand Symposium on April 26 in Berlin, Michael Theurer, State Secretary at the BMDV, unveiled the three successful regions that were selected in the HyPerformer II competition – Rügen-Stralsund and the Rhine-Ruhr region were also announced in addition to Thuringia. The largest hydrogen pilot project in Thuringia will now be able to apply for full funding to establish and expand hydrogen infrastructure for the transport sector in the Erfurt metropolitan region. The HyPerformer aims to support integrated concepts that focus on the regional mobility sector.
Hydrogen mobility hub at the GVZ Erfurt
The TH2ECO MOBILITY HyPerformer application, which was submitted by the TH2ECO project under the leadership of EurA AG and was supported by the Thuringian Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Nature Conservation (TMUEN), is focused on the development of an H2 mobility hub at the Erfurt freight center (GVZ). This includes the construction of a public hydrogen filling station, together with regional H2 production, filling, and logistics, as well as a variety of secondary objectives: The construction of two electrolyzers, connection to a hydrogen distribution pipeline, establishment of hydrogen-powered intralogistics, and the construction of an H2 filling station and storage trailer. This project aims to demonstrate the transition from a stand-alone solution to a network that is connected to a European supply network.
A logistics location with a competitive advantage
Dirk Schmidt, branch manager of EurA AG in Thuringia, sees the funding as an important step towards helping Thuringia become a hydrogen state. “The highly committed TH2ECO team and the TH2ECO MOBILITY HyPerformer sub-project represent an excellent opportunity to turn Erfurt, with its high-performance freight center, into a decarbonized logistics hub. This is where we see a clear competitive advantage.” In the project development phase, says Schmidt, “technical solutions were put together that allow the hydrogen to be made available for various business models. It was also important to talk to the end users of hydrogen, especially the freight forwarders, to make them aware of the advantages and encourage them to make use of the new technology. We believe that our project will be a blueprint for other freight centers and therefore help to decarbonize the transport sector.” He predicted that the hydrogen filling station would be operational by January 31, 2025.
Establishing a basis by 2025
For a more than two years, the TH2ECO H2 ecosystem, together with its MOBILITY sub-project, has been combining the commitment of a number of partners who aim to establish the basis for a local, regenerative hydrogen economy in Thuringia by 2025. The founding partners include Ferngas Netzgesellschaft, Green Wind Innovation, BOREAS Energie, Stadtwerke Erfurt Energie, Stadtwerke Erfurt Netz, EurA AG, and TEAG Thüringer Energie AG. TH2ECO MOBILITY has been joined by other well-known partners such as JET H2 Energy Germany and Zalando Logistics. “Our partners have already made considerable preliminary contributions. The funding represents another very important step towards the energy transition in Thuringia,” says a delighted TH2ECO project manager Dr Katharina Großmann of Ferngas. It was only a few days ago that the Federal Economics Minister, Dr. Robert Habeck, presented the project with the H2Eco Award 2023 from the German Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association at the Hanover trade fair; a prize awarded to companies that are making an outstanding commitment to a hydrogen market economy or its ramp-up.
Photo (from left to right): Florian Becker (TMWWDG), Dr. Katharina Großmann (Ferngas), Vanessa Di Leonardo (BOREAS Energie), Kilian Fromm (Green Wind Innovation), Anika Winkelhöfer (TMUEN), Dirk Schmidt (EurA), Parliamentary State Secretary Michael Theurer (BDMV), Elisabeth Pfeiffer (EurA), Elena Hof (Jet H2 Energy) – Photo: Franz Josef Brück
