Slovakia takes first step into hydrogen future.
As Europe struggles to ease off its fossil fuel addiction, made more urgent by the need to cut Russian energy dependence, questions on the practical application of hydrogen’s green potential take centre stage.
In the Slovak village of Blatná nad Ostrovom a pilot project of mixing hydrogen into natural gas infrastructure yielded positive results, a first step in demonstrating how hydrogen can be safely and effectively distributed in existing pipelines with only minor adjustments, according to gas distributor SPP-D.
Martin Hollý, Director of SPP-D, said:
So far, the results confirm that we will be able to distribute efficiently.
“This means that it will not be necessary to build new networks, but it will be enough to make some minor changes in the network.”
SPP-D launched the project in mid-June, and trials will last until September. If they continue to yield positive results, the distributor plans to mix 5% hydrogen with natural gas by 2025. By 2030, the share will rise to 10%, and the following decade should see a rise to more than 20%.
In mid-August, SPP-D said on social media that there had been no complaints from consumers since the project was launched in the village.
The company says even the oldest, and therefore riskiest, boilers and stoves have not had problems with the green hydrogen produced from renewable energy used for the pilot.
Fears of hydrogen molecules, which are significantly smaller than gas, separating from the mixture and leaking from the pipelines, were also not realised and checks on pipeline tightness and homogeneity of the mixture were positive.
Successful completion of the pilot project could have dramatic implications for hydrogen use in the country and its ambitions to become a regional hydrogen leader. Economy Minister Richard Sulík (Freedom and Solidarity) plans to invest €1 billion to boost hydrogen production and use in various sectors.
The pilot project also falls in line with the EU Commission’s plans to use green hydrogen as a means of lowering dependence on Russian energy, outlined by the REPowerEU package.
REPowerEU, which set aside €200 million of additional funding for hydrogen research, also aims for European gas infrastructure to be adapted for hydrogen transportation.
Meanwhile, investments in hydrogen are accelerating. According to Commission documents, there are over 750 investments in the pipeline before 2030, which include projects concerning hydrogen production, transportation and usage by the industry.
Spain, for example, Spain accounted for a fifth of the world’s green hydrogen projects in the first quarter of 2022, second only to the United States.
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Slovakia takes first step into hydrogen future, August 25, 2022
