The Hydrogen Stream: FIA bets on liquid hydrogen

Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) has confirmed its commitment to the development of hydrogen-fueled power units across different disciplines and competitions. “FIA will focus its efforts on contribution to development and promotion of solutions based on hydrogen stored in liquid form (LH₂),” said the organization, which oversees racing events such as Formula 1. FIA is betting on liquid storage due to its lower volume and weight compared to compressed gas tanks (CGH2).

PT PLN has inaugurated the Kamojang green hydrogen production facility in West Java, Indonesia. It is the first geothermal-based green hydrogen production plant in Southeast Asia. Geothermal-based green hydrogen is produced from condensation water from the Kamojang PLTP electricity production process.“We built the plant at Kamojang with a production capacity of 4.3 tons per year,” said PT PLN President Darmawan Prasodjo. The company also recently inaugurated Indonesia’s first hydrogen vehicle filling station in Jakarta. “The new station shows PLN's continued efforts and innovation in developing an end-to-end hydrogen ecosystem in Indonesia, after in November 2023 inaugurating 21 green hydrogen plants (GHP),” the company said in a separate press release. The company can produce 203 tons of green hydrogen per year and said it wants to use 128 tons “to support the development of the hydrogen vehicle ecosystem.”

OMV Petrom has signed two financing contracts to build two green-hydrogen production facilities with a total capacity of 55 MW at the Petrobrazi refinery in Romania. The Austrian company said it signed the contracts with the Romanian Ministry of Energy for a maximum funding amount of €50 million ($54.2 million), with the total investment coming it at EUR 140 million. It noted that public support comes from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), a funding facility supported by the European Commission.

Powerhouse has signed an initial five-year framework agreement with Australia-based National H2 for multiple hydrogen-based projects in Australia, Italy, Switzerland, and Hong Kong. “The agreement sets out the terms on which the company's technology and engineering expertise would be provided, on a project-by-project exclusivity basis, to National H2,” said Powerhouse. Engsolve, a wholly owned subsidiary of Powerhouse, will undertake the front-end engineering design (FEED) for the facilities, which will be fully funded by National H2.

Siemens Energy has agreed to supply HH2E with high-voltage systems and power transformers, which are essential components for its large-scale green hydrogen production units across Germany. The two companies said HH2E's strategy focuses on maximizing the use of curtailed power, in order to convert untapped green electrons into green hydrogen production.