Saipem wants to set up green hydrogen production in Italy, Albania and Morocco

Italian gas contractor Saipem and Florence-based hydrogen specialist Alboran Hydrogen have signed a memorandum of understanding for the joint development of five green hydrogen plants — three in Italy, one in Albania, and the last in Morocco.

The three plants in Italy would all be in the Apulia region, more precisely, in the provinces of Brindisi, Taranto and Foggia. For one of the projects the authorization request has already been submitted and Saipem intends to do the same for the other two plants “within a couple of months.”

“With reference to the timing, we trust that Puglia [Apulia], having its own specific legislation on green hydrogen, will have an accelerated process and that the process can be completed by 2021,” a spokesperson from Saipem told pv magazine, adding that the authorizations will be formally submitted to the public administrations by Alboran, “but all technical contribution will be joint.”

Saipem said the two companies had identified land for similar projects in Albania and Morocco. “We are now  preparing the permitting in accordance with local legislation,” the spokesperson explained.

The projects will be developed in partnership with Italy-based research center National Energy Technology District and the Sapienza University of Rome. “The agreement with Saipem will allow us to develop the potential of the project model proposed for Puglia with the aim of exporting it to the world,” commented Livio de Santoli, deputy rector responsible for sustainability at La Sapienza University.

Saipem, through its subsidiary Moss Maritime, is partnering with Norwegian oil giant Equinor to test an offshore floating solar array off the island of Froya, near Trondheim, in the Norwegian Sea.

Saipem’s latest announcements follow in the footsteps of a flurry of hydrogen agreements between Italian energy companies. In September, Italian gas and energy company Snam and Saipem signed a deal to cooperate in new energy transition technologies, from green hydrogen to CO2 capture.

Italy’s national hydrogen strategy aims for 2% hydrogen penetration into final energy demand by 2030 and up to 20% by 2050.