Lombardy is rapidly moving towards sustainable mobility with the opening of 5 hydrogen refueling stations starting in 2026
(Adnkronos) – Lombardy continues its path towards sustainable mobility at a rapid pace, with the opening of five hydrogen refueling stations for motor vehicles that will be opened within the year and will be operational starting in 2026. Today, on the Tangenziale Est of Milan, in Carugate, the first of the five stations was presented, which will be followed by a twin on the north lane, a plant in Rho and two other stations in Tortona. The Carugate plant will be able to refuel both light and heavy vehicles, promoting the use of hydrogen as a sustainable alternative to traditional fuels. Today’s presentation is, as the President of the Lombardy Region, Attilio Fontana, underlined, a “fundamental step towards the creation of a national network dedicated to hydrogen road mobility”.
And the project fits into the broader context of European policies for decarbonisation and the transition towards climate neutrality, as well as representing a significant contribution towards an increasingly innovative, efficient and low-emission transport system.
The initiative was promoted by Milano Serravalle – Milano Tangenziali with the aim of starting a hydrogen mobility model applied to road transport in Italy, starting from a key infrastructural hub in the heart of Lombardy.
The president of Milano Serravalle-Milano Tangenziali Elio Catania, said:
We strongly believe in hydrogen as an alternative vector for sustainable transport
“On the other hand, hydrogen has been chosen by Europe for several years and by Italy which has diverted important resources of the PNRR to hydrogen. There is no doubt – he observes – that we are in an initial phase. We need to build a supply chain and the supply chain is made up of a distribution network; today we are inaugurating the first distribution network in Italy with these five centers”.
The choice to open in Carugate was dictated by the flow of transport from Northern Europe to the port of Genoa, to intercept the traffic of goods throughout Europe:
Here – warns Catania – two fundamental European corridors pass, corridor 2 and corridor 5; we do not want to interrupt that chain that passes through Germany and Switzerland to the Mediterranean, therefore to Genoa; we cannot allow Italy to remain outside of this
The economic commitment for the entire set of 5 stations cost 55 million euros, with funding from the Pnrr and partly from the European community:
It is a strategic project in which Italy believes and in which we, as Serravalle and as the FNM group, believe a lot
The introduction of hydrogen in an energy transition path represents a strategic development area for the Fnm Group, also involved in the H2iseO Hydrogen Valley project in Val Camonica, dedicated to local public transport by rail and road. As part of H2iseO, the commercial service of the first hydrogen trains in Italy will be launched within the first half of 2026.:
The president of Fnm, Andrea Gibelli, The strategic plan of the FNM Group, explains:
Sets important objectives of energy efficiency and emission reduction, to be achieved through the development of sustainable mobility systems
The network of hydrogen roadside refueling stations, together with the H2iseO project, represents “a fundamental step forward in this direction, which is alongside the many other actions that the Group is carrying out, such as the renewal of fleets and the commitment to the production of electricity from renewable sources”. Moreover, Gibelli recalls, “For the Fnm Group the hydrogen project began in 2019; today we have arrived in 2025 knowing that the hydrogen strategy for the European community, in the theme of diversification of energy sources, represents more than 10% of the objectives that the European community itself has set itself. The Serravalle company has aligned itself with these objectives and we believe that this is a small but important step towards the ring road system that will allow Lombardy to keep up with the times”. In total, the project foresees a total investment of 55,4 million euros, financed by national and European funds allocated by the PNRR and the European Union, within the framework of the CEF Transport Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility (AFIF) programme aimed at the decarbonisation of transport along the TEN-T network (Trans-European transport network).
The goal is to create an integrated, multimodal and sustainable transport network throughout Europe: “We – emphasizes the CEO of Mise, Ivo Roberto Cassetta – are committed to making the territory increasingly sustainable, through projects that generate value for the environment and communities, also at a national and European level. The construction of the new hydrogen station in Carugate Est confirms this vision, based first and foremost on research and innovation aimed at sustainable mobility with the expansion of the offer of carbon neutral energy resources” In this perspective, it is essential to accelerate the development of infrastructures for the use of hydrogen as a zero direct emission fuel with the aim of reducing air pollutants along the main road corridors of Northern Italy, promoting sustainable long-distance mobility and strengthening the European network of alternative fuels, in line with the climate neutrality objectives established at community level.: “I thank Serravalle and its board, the Lombardy Region and Fnm, as well as the parliamentarians and many mayors who are here to demonstrate how much this innovation is an innovation expected -said the undersecretary with responsibility for economic planning, Alessandro Morelli-; after all, the world is also going in this direction.
And – he emphasizes – I say ‘also’ because our mantra must be technological neutrality, but we must not fall in love with one type of fuel over another. Having deeply liberal values, and above all eliminating ideology, we must present all the proposals that the market makes available to families and businesses”. For this reason “the investment of the Lombardy Region is consistent with the government’s aspirations, to allow everyone to choose their own best mobility and transport tool. And this is not only in the interest of companies, but also in the public interest”. Currently in Europe there are over 250 filling stations, with over 200 in the planning phase.
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Lombardy is rapidly moving towards sustainable mobility with the opening of 5 hydrogen refueling stations starting in 2026, source
