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Green fuels powering a sustainable tomorrow

From winter 2023, Axpo and local partner Rhiienergie have built a hydrogen production facility at the Reichenau hydroelectric power plant in Domat/Ems. This facility, the first of its kind in the canton of Graubünden and a pioneering project for Switzerland, will produce up to 350 tonnes of green hydrogen annually using electricity generated from the power plant. This production is equivalent to saving approximately 1.5 million litres of diesel annually. The plant represents a crucial step in the decarbonisation efforts in Switzerland and adds a significant component to the country's future energy infrastructure.

Three figures about the project

350

tonnes

of hydrogen per year

2.5

megawatts

capacity of the electrolyser

1.5

million litres

of diesel fuel that can be saved

 

 

«Hydrogen still has a few hurdles to overcome. But Axpo is convinced of the potential of green hydrogen as a clean, renewable and versatile energy source.»
Christoph Brand, CEO

Role and potential of hydrogen

Hydrogen offers significant opportunities for the energy transition, especially in sectors that are difficult to electrify, such as industries with high-temperature processes or energy-intensive mobility requiring high energy density. Green hydrogen and its derivatives offer long-term and compact energy storage options with the potential for use in heavy-duty, marine and air transportation, possibly through e-fuels. «To reach decarbonization and proposed net-zero objectives, a considerable demand for hydrogen and its derivatives in the long term is undisputed.”, says Luka Cuderman, Hydrogen Market Intelligence & Business Strategy Lead at Axpo.

White Paper & more about hydrogen

Hydrogen (H) is the most common element in the universe - it is a component of water (H2O) and practically all organic compounds.

You can find out more about the role and potential of hydrogen in Switzerland in our white paper.

Hydrogen with green electricity from the Rhine

Green hydrogen, produced from renewable energy, plays a crucial role in Axpo's efforts to reduce CO2 emissions. The green hydrogen produced in Domat/Ems makes a decisive contribution to decarbonisation and can be supplied to both industrial customers and filling stations.

In spring 2024, the core component of the hydrogen production facility was delivered: the electrolyser. It produces hydrogen from electricity and water through a chemical reaction.

Further projects at home and abroad

 

 

H2Uri

Axpo is the majority shareholder in the company H2Uri, which is building a hydrogen production plant in Bürglen in central Switzerland. The regionally produced hydrogen will be used to power a passenger ship operated by Vierwaldstättersee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft (SGV) AG on nearby Lake Lucerne. In addition to Axpo and SGV, EWA-energieUri and AVIA Schätzle are also involved in the project. The hydrogen plant is to be built in Bürglen in the canton of Uri and is expected to start producing hydrogen in 2025. Among other things, the plant's output will be used to power the first hydrogen passenger ship on Lake Lucerne. The conversion of the SGV ship "MS Saphir" to a hydrogen fuel cell system will be completed by autumn 2025.

Wildegg-Brugg power plant

Another climate-friendly hydrogen production plant is to be built at the Wildischachen industrial site in Brugg (AG), which will also be the largest hydrogen plant in Switzerland. Axpo, Voegtlin-Meyer, IBB Energie AG (IBB) and the city of Brugg have signed corresponding declarations of intent. Axpo plans to supply clean hydrogen from domestic hydropower directly to the nearby Voegtlin-Meyer refuelling station via pipeline. From there, the green hydrogen will be made available to private users and used for the buses operated on behalf of PostBus AG. Around 300 lorries, postbuses or buses can be powered with the amount produced each year.

Arve Hydrogène Mobilité

By founding the project company "Arve Hydrogène Mobilité", Axpo is investing in a project for the production and distribution of hydrogen in France. Specifically for the mobility sector in the French Arve Valley. The first hydrogen vehicles should be able to refuel at an H2 filling station as early as the first quarter of 2025. The project is being supported by various local partners, including hydrogen refuelling station developer Ataway and Jean Lain Mobilités, a leading car dealer and specialist in mobility solutions in the Alpine region. An electrolyser capacity of up to 5 MW will be gradually installed by 2030 to meet the growing demand for carbon-free mobility in the region.

Arve Hydrogène Mobilité

Together with Infinite Green Energy (IGE), Axpo is developing one of the largest green hydrogen plants in Italy. This is in Valle Peligna in the Abruzzo region. Specifically, up to 12 tonnes of hydrogen per day can be supplied for energy-intensive industrial and mobility markets. The project envisages a 30 MW electrolyser powered by a 45 MWp solar plant. The 30 MW electrolyser can produce up to 4,200 tonnes of hydrogen per year. This corresponds to around 18 million litres of diesel fuel that can be saved every year. The plant is expected to be connected to the grid in the second half of 2025.

Swiss Green Gas International

Axpo holds a 43% interest in Swiss Green Gas International, in short SGGI. The joint venture company founded in 2020 plans and realises power-to-X facilities in Northern Europe (more on power-to-X on Wikipedia). The plants produce hydrogen and synthetic methane (green gas) from renewable electricity. This will promote the urgent, rapid exit from fossil energy sources. Other SGGI shareholders are Holdigaz SA, which primarily supplies the Cantons of Vaud, Valais and Freiburg with gas, and Nordur Group GmbH, a development and investment company.

Contact us

Do you have any further questions? We are happy to assist with your concerns!

Luka Cudermann

Business Strategy Lead