Saipem S.p.A. (San Donato Milanese, Italy) and Alboran Hydrogen have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the joint development and the construction of five plants for the production of green hydrogen through the electrolysis process, three of which in Italy and the other two in the Mediterranean basin.
The two companies will take advantage of their respective and complementary skills, experience and technologies acquired from having been engaged over the years in the construction of plants served to the production of hydrogen. In particular, as a global solution provider in the energy and infrastructure sector, Saipem will be engaged with the engineering, procurement and construction of the plants, as part of the development and eventual implementation activities. Alboran Hydrogen, operating in the development of renewable projects, will take care to coordinate the technological aspects with the research institutes concerned, as well as of the authorization activities for the development of the plants, and of the supply chain agreements with the Research Centres, Bodies and Universities involved.
The agreement proposes, among the various possible initiatives identified, the development and creation of a green hydrogen hub located in Puglia (Italy), through the construction of three plants in the territories of Brindisi, Taranto and Foggia with the participation of the National Energy Technology District, La Sapienza University, the Salento University and the Brindisi Research Center (Cittadella della Ricerca di Brindisi). This initiative fits within the objectives set by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).
The agreement also provides for the development and the construction of two additional plants in the Mediterranean basin, specifically in Albania and Morocco. The latter will concern the production of ammonia from green hydrogen.
Simone Pratesi, Chairman of Alboran Hydrogen and the entire Scientific Technical Committee coordinated by Prof. Livio de Santoli, Deputy Rector responsible for sustainability at La Sapienza University of Rome commented: “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. We are proud to have focused for some time on the production of green hydrogen and we note with satisfaction that national and European policies are moving in the direction we have taken when similar issues were not yet addressed at the right level. We are therefore honoured to be able to provide our contribution to the energy strategy pertaining to green hydrogen, identified as the major avenue for the energy transition now by most governments in the world, together with Saipem, whom we consider the best possible”.
Maurizio Coratella, COO of Saipem’s onshore E&C Division, commented: “The agreement with Alboran Hydrogen consolidates Saipem’s position as a leading player in the energy transition and decarbonisation and is an important step ahead for the future development of green hydrogen in Italy and in the Mediterranean basin, a technology that, in the coming decades, will represent the new horizon of the energy evolution. For the implementation of the various projects included in this agreement, we will leverage our long-term experience in the industrial treatment of hydrogen and in the design and construction of energy infrastructures, alongside significant skills in the search for efficient and innovative solutions”.