Danish firm Everfuel is to construct a fourth green hydrogen fuelling station in Copenhagen to meet growing demand.

The firm reports high demand at its existing two regular capacity fuelling stations, providing the incentive to supplement its first high-capacity station, which is under construction, with a second.

While the firm has received capex subsidies from the Danish government, market signals alone are justifying the investment, CEO Jacob Krogsgaard tells Hydrogen Economist. “We can make the business case without any operational subsidy support,” he says.

“We can make business case without subsidy” Krogsgaard, Everfuel

When the two new high-capacity stations are operational Everfuel will be able to supply over 800kg/d of pressurised hydrogen. The firm is pursuing a further two additional locations for fuelling stations.

Initially demand will come from long-haul trucks, buses and taxis fitted with hydrogen fuel cells, with some customers providing revenue certainty through long-term contracts.

In January, Everfuel signed an agreement with offshore wind developer Orsted to take green hydrogen from the 2MW H2Res project at Avedore. The project will use power generated by two 3.6MW offshore wind turbines to produce 1,000kg/d of green hydrogen from late 2021. The hydrogen will be transported to fuelling stations in six high-capacity trailers operated by Everfuel, each able to carry 958kg of the fuel.

Everfuel is also leading a separate project called Hysnergy to build a green hydrogen production plant at Frederica powered by a 300MW electrolyser, expected to be operational by 2025. This facility will also eventually supply the firm’s fuelling stations.

The firm sees road transport demand for hydrogen growing quickly over the next ten years thanks to the EU’s hydrogen strategy. The Renewable Energy Directive—implemented 2022—will require 14pc of the fuel sold by retailers to be from renewable sources, of which half must come from a non-biological origin.

Over 1,800 new fuel-cell electric vehicles were registered in the EU during 2019, up from just under 1,200 in the previous year, according to the bloc’s sector statistics body the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Observatory. By 2025, the industry body expects 23,000 new fuel-cell cars to be registered annually.

As well as financial incentive schemes at EU level, many cities are introducing increasingly stringent low emission zones at a local level to combat air pollution.

Everfuel is in talks with Danish transmission systems operator (TSO) Energinet Gas to integrate its production and distribution sites with the Danish section of a 6,800km network of hydrogen pipeline infrastructure to be installed by a consortium of European TSOs by 2030.

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Author: Tom Young