Swiss start-up brings hydrogen revolution to Villingen!

Swiss start-up brings hydrogen revolution to Villingen!

Villingen-Schwenningen, Deutschland - The Swiss start-up Infener plans to build a hydrogen hub in Villingen-Schwenningen from 2026. The company wants to meet the growing energy requirement in industry sustainably, which is currently often covered by oil or gas. However, these resources are finally and their prices are continuously increasing. Hydrogen is considered an alternative energy source because it only generates water vapor and no carbon dioxide when burning. As the Schwäbische Zeitung is obtained through electrolysis, in the water in hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (o2) becomes. In order to produce green hydrogen, the electricity used must come from renewable energies, which, however, is energy -intensive and expensive.

The planned hub will be built in the Salzgrube industrial area and is intended to achieve a production capacity of around 2000 tons of hydrogen per year. The investment costs for the project amount to 45 million euros. The hydrogen is sold regionally, whereby an economic truck transport is planned within a radius of around 50 kilometers. Infener, a spin-off of the W&P Engineering AG founded in 1995, specializes in the development and operation of hydrogen hubs as well as integrated system solutions. The company also relies on the use of by -products of electrolysis such as waste heat and oxygen, which could be used, for example, to heat the new indoor pool in Villingen or sold to sewage treatment plants.

planned production capacities and regional importance

As reported, Infener plans to increase the initial capacity of 5 Megawatt (MW) to up to 20 MW over the next five years. The hydrogen requirement in the region is expected to increase by 68 % in the next few years, which creates additional growth options for the company. Mayor Jürgen Roth (CDU) supports the project and sees important impulses for the regional economy. The Infener indicate that the region will not be connected to supra-regional hydrogen pipelines, which is all the more important power.

Infener pursues a comprehensive strategy and plans to make a contribution to the EU hydrogen strategy, which provides for a total production capacity of 40 gigawatts by 2030. The company has already started seven projects in Europe and is planning 14 more, mainly in Germany. The foundation stone for the hydrogen hub in Villingen-Schwenningen has not yet been laid, but the IHK Schwarzwald-Baar-Heuberg sees Infener as a "first mover" in the area of ​​hydrogen hubs and places great hopes for the successful implementation of the plans.