After a year of work, the largest ecological hydrogen production facility in Switzerland was inaugurated on Friday in Domat/Ems, Graubünden. It will make it possible to do without one and a half million liters of diesel per year.
The installation with a power of 2.5 megawatts can produce 350 tonnes of green hydrogen per year, indicate its operators, the electrical group Axpo and its regional partner RhiiEnergie. The production site is located in the immediate vicinity of the Reichenau hydropower plant on the Rhine.
The production of green hydrogen is carried out by the water electrolysis process, powered by green electricity from the hydraulic power plant, without CO2 emissions. The hydrogen is then densified on site for delivery to service stations and industrial customers.
>> Images of the hydrogen plant:
“Flagship project” for the climate
This direct connection to a run-of-river power plant constitutes a pioneering Axpo project. It is also the first installation of this type in Graubünden, a “flagship project” in this area, as RhiiEnergie general director Christian Capaul describes it. “I am convinced that green hydrogen will be a determining factor in future energy supply.”
Axpo Managing Director Christoph Brand is also confident in this technology: “There are still some obstacles to overcome, but we are convinced of the potential of this green, sustainable and renewable energy Source,” he said. -he declares.
“This installation perfectly corresponds to the efforts of the Arge Alp Working Community to exploit the potential of green hydrogen in the Alpine space, as well as those of the canton in relation to its climate and energy objectives, underlined the Graubünden Minister of Infrastructure Carmelia Maissen Arge Alp brings together the Austrian, German and Italian Alpine border regions as well as Graubünden, St. Gallen and Ticino.
A key to decarbonization
According to Axpo, green hydrogen is one of the main climate-protecting energy sources, especially in industry and mobility. It constitutes “a central piece of the puzzle” on the path to decarbonization. It is expected to play an increasingly important role in the energy mix in the future.
>> Read also: Hydrogen, an essential piece of the energy transition puzzle
The electrical group therefore wants to promote this market in Switzerland and Europe, he writes. It holds interests in projects in France and Italy. With the shipping company on Lake Lucerne, he is also planning the launch of the first passenger boat powered by green hydrogen.
ats/edel
