The EU is giving 8 million euros to set up Ireland’s first “hydrogen valley” in Galway port as one of nine such projects across Europe.
The EU funding is a significant boost for the multi-million euro green energy scheme, which aims to produce hydrogen fuel in Galway for air, sea, road and rail transport, along with industry, on the Atlantic seaboard.
Hydrogen fuel is deemed “zero carbon” when water is separated into oxygen and hydrogen, using electrolysis and a clean primary energy source.
A “hydrogen valley” creates a regional ecosystem linking research, production and distribution with beneficiaries such as transport and industry.
The EU is supporting research and innovation activities in hydrogen technologies in Europe through a public-private initiative known as the Clean Energy Partnership.
The Galway project supported by the EU is spearheaded by SSE Renewables, operator of offshore and onshore wind farms in Ireland and Britain.
The company, which has welcomed the EU Clean Hydrogen Partnership funding, has teamed up with University of Galway, Galway Harbour Company, Bus Éireann and Colas civil engineering company.
Aer Arann Islands, Lasta Mara Teo and Aran Ferries are also involved, as providers of air and ferry transport respectively to and from the Aran islands. The transport companies hope to use hydrogen as a cleaner fuel source.
Known as GH2, the grouping involves a number of international partners to ensure “knowledge sharing”, as this is a requirement of EU grant funding, according to an SSE Renewables spokesman.
The spokesman said the GH2 consortium would now “begin negotiations with the Clean Hydrogen Partnership to progress the grant agreement, which is expected to be concluded before the summer”.
It says it hopes to submit a planning application for the Galway Hydrogen Valley with Galway City Council by late Spring of this year. If planning is secured, GH2 is “targeting delivery by early 2026”, the spokesman said.
The EU’s Clean Energy Partnership says hydrogen “can play a critical role in energy transformation”, and has “many possible applications across industry, transport, power and buildings sectors”.
“Most importantly, when produced sustainably, it does not emit CO2 and does not pollute the air when used. It is therefore an important part of the overall solution to meet the 2050 climate neutrality goal of the European Green Deal,”it says.
It says research and innovation is required to improve its competitiveness against other energy carriers, and to ensure it has an infrastructure network to extend it across a geographically spread market.