To effectively balance the generation portfolio, based on its new strategy, Polenergia plans to develop projects based on advanced gas technologies, executing investments involving cogeneration units for industrial offtakers of process steam. They will also be a starting point for the hydrogen transition, for which the Group wants to be fully prepared in the coming years.
In December 2019, the European Union announced its Green Deal Strategy, which, if implemented, should make us fully emission-neutral by 2050. Green Hydrogen should play a very important role in this strategy. In July 2020, the European Commission adopted a hydrogen strategy for a climate-neutral Europe. It will help increase production of clean hydrogen in this part of the world. Hydrogen may be used as an energy carrier, raw material for the industry or fuel – it has many practical applications, which will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the industry, transport, energy and construction sectors.
The “Next Generation EU” economic recovery plan of the European Commission emphasizes that hydrogen is an investment priority to stimulate economic growth and resilience, creation of local jobs and strengthening of EU’s global leadership.
Both the existing cogeneration plant in Nowa Sarzyna and the planned new gas units should be ready for combustion of green hydrogen, which will contribute to building a zero-emission energy group in the future.
In an effort to build a green hydrogen market in Poland, Polenergia signed a letter of intent on the development of projects based on hydrogen technologies with Siemens Energy – a leading producer and supplier of hydrogen solutions (read more). Together with its Partner, the Company analyzes the concepts and develops the first projects associated with green hydrogen production through electrolysis of water by using renewable energy from its own assets.
Nowa Sarzyna Cogeneration Plant, a Polenergia Group company, joined an international consortium working together to promote the use of hydrogen as a zero-emission fuel for gas turbines in the existing installations in Europe. Nowa Sarzyna Cogeneration Plant uses two Frame6B gas turbines manufactured by Thomassen International with the capacity of 40 MW each, which in the future may be modified to co-fire hydrogen with natural gas and ultimate transition to clean hydrogen fuel. In addition to Ansaldo Thomassen and the Nowa Sarzyna Cogeneration Plant, partners in the cooperation agreement also include: Vattenfall, DOW, Nouryon, EmmTec, Hygear, TU Delft, TU Eindhoven, DLR and OPRA Turbines.
The Polenergia Group and its subsidiary Nowa Sarzyna Cogeneration Plant will jointly develop Poland’s first hydrogen valley. The Letter of Intent for the creation of the Subcarpathian Hydrogen Valley, signed in Rzeszów, is to help to build a coordinated and integrated ecosystem of interrelations that will focus on the development of technology, knowledge, research and business. We believe that this will happen, because hydrogen may be the technology of tomorrow and an opportunity to accelerate Poland’s green transition.
Hydrogen has its own agreement that will facilitate decarbonization of the Polish industry and transportation! Just one month after signing the Polish Offshore Wind Sector Deal, the Ministry of Climate and Environment, local governments, businesses and scientists signed a second sector deal – for the development of the hydrogen economy. Polenergia could not have passed up the opportunity to be a signatory, because for us hydrogen is the technology of tomorrow and an opportunity to accelerate Poland’s green transition. We strive to utilize the hydrogen production value chain to the fullest, as we believe that it contributes to the development of the market and supports our economy by creating added value and new jobs.
Polenergia is a signatory of the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance established in implementation of the EC Hydrogen Strategy. The next step for Polenergia was to join, as a Cooperating Partner, the letter of intent initiated by the Ministry of Climate and Environment to establish a partnership for the hydrogen economy and to sign a hydrogen sector deal.
In 2021, Polenergia was accepted to the Hydrogen Europe organization associating the major companies supplying and implementing hydrogen technologies in Europe and globally. Membership in Hydrogen Europe will allow Polenergia to participate in the creation of a hydrogen market by establishing new, resilient business relationships. The activity in HE involves the development of postulates in key development areas of hydrogen power, not only on the domestic market but also in Europe. It also offers access to knowledge resources on technologies and on the business aspects of developing hydrogen projects.
According to the strategy, thanks to the initiated and implemented partnerships for the development of hydrogen and hydrogen projects and utilization of its RES energy production potential, the Polenergia Group wishes to become a producer of green hydrogen to support the decarbonization of Poland and European Union.
