Hydrogenious LOHC Receives Multi-Million Euro Grant
The German government has granted Hydrogenious LOHC Infra Bavaria 72,5 million Euro towards the Green Hydrogen @ Blue Danube project. The federal government is providing 70% of the funding, while the state of Bavaria is contributing 30%.
The project has already been designated an “Important Project of Common European Interest” (IPCEI) in the hydrogen “Hy2Infra” wave by the European Commission in February 2024, as it contributes to a sustainable and stable hydrogen supply for industry in Central Europe.
Hydrogenious LOHC Infra Bavaria is a subsidiary of Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies.
Starting in 2028, the LOHC ReleasePLANT to be built as part of the Green Hydrogen @ Blue Danube project will supply up to 1,800 tons of green hydrogen to offtakers in the Bavarian industrial area in the Danube region.
The liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC) technology by Hydrogenious means these industrially relevant quantities of green hydrogen can be transported to Southern Germany by leveraging the already existing liquid fuel infrastructure.
The hydrogen can also be injected into pipeline networks such as HyPipe Bavaria. This network can be further expanded through planned pipeline connections to the German Hydrogen Core Network and the European Hydrogen Backbone, increasing the resilience of the energy system.
Hydrogenious’ LOHC technology allows hydrogen to be safely bonded to the hardly flammable thermal oil benzyltoluene in a chemical process called hydrogenation. This oil can be transported using conventional infrastructure such as trucks, trains, barges and tankers with no loss of hydrogen, providing a very safe and easy way to transport large quantities of hydrogen to the hinterland, especially when compared to other transportation technologies, says the company.
At its destination, the hydrogen is released from the oil in a chemical dehydrogenation process and is available in high purity for industrial applications, power generation or the mobility sector. The carrier oil is not consumed in the process and can be reused for new hydrogen storage and transportation.
Dr Robert Habeck, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, said: “The energy transition remains one of the biggest challenges for our country, even in the face of further crises and conflicts. By promoting hydrogen projects, we are taking an important step towards a climate-neutral and sustainable economy in Europe and beyond.
"We are giving the go-ahead for the construction of electrolysers in the three-digit megawatt class, thereby enabling important progress to be made in the domestic production of green hydrogen. An efficient hydrogen infrastructure plays a key role in enabling the decarbonization of industry and the energy sector. Hydrogen pipelines will be the lifelines of industrial centers. This will create the conditions for climate-neutral growth.”