Polish oil refiner PKN Orlen plans to roll out over 100 hydrogen refuelling stations in Central Europe and develop 540MW of clean hydrogen production capacity by 2030 as part of a PLN7.4bn ($1.85bn) strategy approved by its board this week.

Clean hydrogen production and distribution will be developed around ten hydrogen hubs across Central Europe, producing around 60,000t/yr. The production will be based on electrolysis powered by renewables as well as conversion of municipal waste, the company says.

“We already have strong capabilities in developing hydrogen technologies, backed by our vast experience in the field. And the implementation of our hydrogen strategy will position us as a partner of choice in building a hydrogen economy in Central and Eastern Europe,” says Daniel Obajtek, president of the PKN management board.

“The implementation of our hydrogen strategy will position us as a partner of choice in building a hydrogen economy in Central and Eastern Europe” Obajtek, PKN

The strategy includes investment in carbon capture, utilisation and storage to decarbonise 120,000t/yr of hydrogen production at the group’s Plock site. Almost half of the hydrogen used by PKN should come from zero- or low-carbon sources in 2030, avoiding 1.6mn t/yr of  CO₂ emissions.

The strategy also provides for new combined-cycle gas turbine power plants built within the PKN group to have the option to co-fire hydrogen.

Regional leader

PKN aims to position itself as a leader in Central Europe’s transition to hydrogen in the transport sector. In the first stage, up to 2025, it will focus primarily on public transport to ensure stable demand. PKN has already signed letters of intent to collaborate with 17 municipalities and four companies in Poland as potential customers.

Phase two of the transport strategy will focus on the development of partnerships to create hydrogen corridors for long-haul heavy-duty transport and the development of a retail refuelling network, including 57 sites in Poland, 28 in Slovakia and 26 in the Czech Republic.

PKN already operates two hydrogen refuelling stations in Germany. Four more stations will be built this year—three in the Czech Republic and one in Krakow, Poland. Plans are also in place to launch hydrogen stations in Poznan and Katowice in Poland in 2023, each featuring refuelling facilities for passenger cars and buses. “Refuelling of a passenger car at 700 bar will take five minutes, with about 5kg of fuel offering a range of up to 700km,” the company says.

Another strand of the strategy is the potential supply to other industry sectors, with PKN aiming to develop that side of the business via the European Hydrogen Backbone infrastructure being developed by European gas pipeline network operators.

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Author: Stuart Penson