Joint press release from Infener and the city of Villingen-Schwenningen
Villingen-Schwenningen, June 6th 2024: A multi-million investment puts Villingen-Schwenningen on the national hydrogen map. Infener AG, a pioneer in decentralized and sustainable hydrogen solutions for regional industrial partners, together with Mayor Jürgen Roth (CDU), has today announced the start of construction for an innovative green hydrogen hub in Villingen-Schwenningen. The hub will be built on approximately 10,000 square meters in the Salzgrube industrial area. From 2026, the facility will gradually reach an electrolysis capacity of up to 20 megawatts (MW), producing around 2,000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually. The hub will begin production in 2026 with a 5MW electrolysis capacity that will be scaled up to 20 MW over five years. This will allow for the energy needs of regional logistics, transport, and industrial sectors to be met in a decentralized, efficient, and environmentally friendly manner. The hub's design has been created by the Hamburg-based architecture and design firm Hadi Teherani, with local project management being provided by the architectural firm Schleicher. Investment in the hub is expected to total 45 million euros.
Mayor Jürgen Roth emphasises: "Hydrogen is a key component for the energy supply of the future, crucial for cities, companies, and public institutions; Therefore, decentralised solutions and investments are needed. The upcoming establishment of the H2 hub is such a solution! It is concrete climate policy: for the city of Villingen-Schwenningen, for the regions of the Black Forest, the Alb, and Lake Constance. We are delighted that Villingen-Schwenningen, as a major centre, can now reinforce its pioneering role in hydrogen production and supply."
Given that the industrial region is not expected to be connected to the national hydrogen pipeline before 2040, and studies estimate the hydrogen demand by 2030 to be four times higher than initially expected ((approx. 94–125 TWh compared to 56 TWh), decentralization and regional independence are essential components of the regional hydrogen strategy.
Infener CEO and Co-Founder Joel Vogl explains: "Our hub utilises the surplus renewable energy in Villingen-Schwenningen to produce green hydrogen and makes it available for industrial processes and the transport sector directly on site. This offers a tailored complement to centralised hydrogen supply systems and enables the regional industry to decarbonise promptly and effectively while easing the load on the power grid."
Additionally, the waste heat from the hydrogen production process, electrolysis, will be used as an energy source for heating networks and industrial processes. The high-quality oxygen produced during electrolysis will be primarily used for oxy-fuel combustion, helping to further decarbonize industrial processes. The energy to operate the facility will come from power purchase agreements (PPAs) with regional wind and photovoltaic energy producers. Potential customers from the regional logistics and industrial sector, including the logistics company Noerpel, have already been secured. They are planning to use the green hydrogen to fuel their H2 truck and bus fleets. The Move Transport Association supports the project.
The H2 hub in Villingen-Schwenningen will make a significant contribution to decarbonizing regional logistics and industrial companies and represents a further milestone for Infener in expanding the green hydrogen market, which will sustainably strengthen local value creation. Recently, Infener announced the start of construction for another hub in Neumünster. Infener aims to establish decentralized hubs across Europe as a leading hydrogen producer, thereby decisively contributing to decarbonization and the implementation of the EU hydrogen strategy, which envisions the installation of electrolysers with a capacity of at least 40 gigawatts by 2030.
