Energetika Ljubljana opens charging park for alternative fuels – hydrogen
February 11 (SeeNews) – Slovenian energy company Energetika Ljubljana said it has opened a charging park for alternative fuels, one of the most important infrastructure projects on the way to the decarbonization of traffic and the sustainable future of the capital city.
The new facility includes 12 charging stations for electric or hydrogen-powered city buses, Energetika Ljubljana said in a press release on Tuesday. It is the first public hydrogen filling station in Slovenia intended for buses, trucks and passenger cars powered by this alternative fuel.
The initial capacity of the hydrogen filling station allows for serving 25 buses and 150 passenger vehicles, or a combination of both types.
Currently eight hydrogen-powered buses are operating in Ljubljana. Local public transport company LPP will upgrade this year its fleet with new hydrogen-powered buses and 28 electric-powered local buses, which will significantly contribute to reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, noise and pollutants, Energetika Ljubljana said.
Hydrogen for refuelling the city’s hydrogen-powered buses will be provided in the initial phase by purchases on the market. In the meantime, Energetika Ljubljana will intensively work to set up its own production of green hydrogen through electrolysis. In the Podutika area, the construction of a photovoltaic power plant with a capacity of 2 MW, which is intended exclusively for the production of hydrogen, is under way.
In the summer of 2027, a facility for the production of hydrogen will be built around the solar power plant, which will provide self-sufficiency with hydrogen for the first 10 hydrogen-powered buses.
Total investment in the park for alternative fuels is 4.5 million euro ($5.3 million). The construction of the photovoltaic power plant and the hydrogen production facility is estimated at 7.5 million euro.
Energetika Ljubljana and LPP together successfully applied at an European Union tender under the Connecting Europe Facility for alternative fuel infrastructure. Energetika Ljubljana obtained 832,500 euro in European funds for the installation of a hydrogen filling station, and LPP received 529,750 euro in EU funds for the installation of 24 electric charging stations. Out of these, 12 were installed at an existing LPP depot, and 12 were included by Energetika Ljubljana in the newly opened charging park for alternative fuels.
Energetika Ljubljana and LPP are both members of the Ljubljana public holding company.
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Energetika Ljubljana opens charging park for alternative fuels – hydrogen, source
