- The regional government has awarded funding for 19.5 million euros for the development of a hub that will produce up to 400 tonnes of hydrogen per year from water and renewable energy
- Hera, as the lead company, and Snam's joint investment amounts to 20.8 million euros
According to the company website press release on April 3 , 2023, Hera and Snam's joint project for the development of a green hydrogen production hub in the municipality of Modena has obtained 19.5 million euros in funding from the Regional Council of Emilia Romagna, which were allocated as part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). The hub will be built in a disused industrial area - as prescribed in the call for tenders - an exhausted landfill site in via Caruso in Modena, without any consumption of useful land.
More specifically, the area will host a 6 MW photovoltaic farm connected to an electrolyser - a device designed to extract hydrogen from water through the process of electrolysis - that will produce up to 400 tonnes of hydrogen each year using the electricity provided by the photovoltaic farm. In order to be able to power the electrolyser also at night, the hub will be equipped with a battery to store the electricity.
The total investment for these activities is expected to amount to 20.8 million euros.
Orazio Iacono, CEO of the Hera Group, said: "This first yet important step in the development of the green hydrogen value chain sees our Group laying the foundations to become a major player in the sector. This project shows Hera’s commitment in building partnerships with companies and communities in their path towards the energy transition thereby creating a positive impact on the environment, the economy and the local areas. We are aware that to cope with the emergency related to climate change as well as the energy transition, it is of paramount importance to work as an echo system, sharing the many resources and know-how the Hera Group alongside the different players of the served areas are able to carry out."
"For Snam, IdrogeMO is the first Hydrogen Valley project dedicated to industrial applications and the transport of hydrogen, which is one of the EU's main energy transition goals.” – Stefano Venier, CEO of Snam commented. “ This initiative to which we will contribute with managing the hydrogen production facilities, enjoys the support of Emilia Romagna, one of the country's key regions in industrial terms, together with a local partner like Hera. The impetus to develop Hydrogen Valleys also represents a first step towards building corridors for the transport of green molecules that place Italy at the centre of one of the hydrogen highways as outlined in RePower EU. Snam's commitment to a carbon-neutral future is one of the cornerstones of our 2022-2026 strategic plan, where we have allocated 1 billion euros to build a platform dedicated to decarbonisation."
The two companies will play a distinct but interconnected role in the building of the hub: Hera SpA will be the lead company, Herambiente will be in charge of building the photovoltaic system, and Snam will deal with the building of the hydrogen production plant.
By implementing the IdrogeMO project, Hera Group and Snam will make a tangible contribution to carbon neutrality in the region of Emilia Romagna. It is expected that part of the hydrogen produced will serve to supply local public transport companies with fuel for vehicles powered by green molecules. A part of it will instead be used by the local industrial sector for the decarbonisation of its processes.
