- Approximately EUR 87 million allocated for building a cutting-edge hydrogen facility in Chemnitz
The federal and local administrations are driving the inauguration of a Hydrogen Research Center in Chemnitz. Slated to be known as the Hydrogen Innovation Center (HIC), this establishment is part of the nationwide hydrogen center, primarily functioning to provide development, trial, and testing opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises and the supply industry. The government has pledged an investment of up to 72 million euros, with the state contributing around 15 million euros by 2028. Partners have now sealed an administrative agreement.
HZwo technology cluster emerged victorious in the 2021 bidding for one of four national hydrogen center locations. Alongside Chemnitz, the other successful bidders were Duisburg (North Rhine-Westphalia), Pfeffenhausen (Bavaria), and a Northern German consortium.
Minister of Economy, Martin Dulig (SPD), voiced his satisfaction with the progress of HIC. "This administrative agreement offers the project partners a firm footing for planning. We desperately need the expertise of Chemnitz's intellectuals to decarbonize heavy-duty traffic. Consequently, hydrogen-powered trucks, buses, and utility vehicles will dominate our roads in the future."
Karl Lötsch, HIC's managing director, pointed out that the upcoming hydrogen technologies development and testing environment will be unprecedented in Europe. "Hydrogen serves as a structural pillar of the future energy system. The global race for dominance in the needed hydrogen technologies has been ongoing for quite some time now."
Electricity can be used to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen. If the electricity is derived from renewable sources such as wind and solar power, it is called green hydrogen. In the foreseeable future, it will help in replacing fossil fuels – for instance, in commercial vehicles or energy- intensive processes in the chemical industry and metalworking.
The HZwo technology cluster, being one of the successful bidders for a national hydrogen center location in 2021, will also benefit from the hydrogen research activities at the Hydrogen Innovation Center (HIC) in Chemnitz.
To further harness the potential of green hydrogen, the Hydrogen Innovation Center (HIC) will focus on testing and developing technologies that utilize renewable energy sources for hydrogen production.
