Poland’s national oil and gas company Polskie Górnictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo (PGNiG; Warsaw, Poland) has started working on projects for the use of hydrogen in the energy and automotive sectors. This initiative explores the possibility of storing and transporting hydrogen through a gas network. The company has also signed a contract for the design and construction of a hydrogen refueling research station.
Hydrogen – Clean Fuel for the Future is PGNiG’s new comprehensive hydrogen program, which consists of several projects ‑— from the production of “green hydrogen” through its storage and distribution, to use in industrial energy.
The most advanced project is called Hydra Tank, which involves the commissioning of a hydrogen refueling research station. PGNiG has just signed a contract with a Polish-British consortium for its design and construction. The station is planned to be launched in 2021 in Warsaw’s Wola district, at ul. Prądzyński, in the vicinity of the existing CNG (compressed natural gas) refueling station.
PGNiG has also started researching the possibility of storing and transporting hydrogen using a natural gas network. As part of the InGrid – Power to Gas project, an installation will be built in the company’s branch in Odolanów, in which the production of “green hydrogen” is to begin in 2022. PGNiG wants to use the electricity generated by solar panels for this purpose.
In turn, the PGNiG Central Measurement and Research Laboratory will expand its analytical activities to become the first laboratory in Poland and one of the few in Europe testing hydrogen purity. After obtaining accreditation, the Laboratory will examine alternative fuels for PGNiG, but will also offer such services commercially to external entities.
Globally, many organizations are developing sustainability and energy initiatives centered around hydrogen, including projects in Australia, Singapore, Germany, Chile and Japan.