Linde buys into Hydrospider for green hydrogen
The industrial gases group Linde has acquired a ten per cent stake in Hydrospider AG. Hydrospider specialises in generating “green” hydrogen by using power from a hydroelectricity station in Switzerland.
H2 Energy and Alpiq are each selling five per cent of their previous 50 per cent stake in Hydrospider to Linde. By the end of this year, Hydrospider will open Switzerland’s first plant for the commercial production of green hydrogen at the Gösgen hydroelectric power station as reported. The plant will produce climate-friendly hydrogen from 100 per cent hydropower.
The hydrogen produced there from the end of 2019 will be used for the first 50 of a total of 1,600 fuel cell trucks. H2 Energy and Hyundai intend to use their joint venture Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility to bring H2 Energy onto Swiss roads by 2025. Incidentally, this is 600 hydrogen trucks more than originally announced in the letter of intent signed between H2E and Hyundai in 2018.
Hyundai already addresses the personal vehicle market with their fuel cell vehicles ix35 Fuel Cell, and the Nexo, and the South Korean manufacturer’s engineers are setting their sights firmly on the utility vehicle market. Hyundai is by no means alone with these perspectives. Volkswagen recently stated that, although it is focusing on battery-powered electric cars as a large volume manufacturer, it will also be using fuel-cells for trucks and buses working over long distances.
Hydrospider only first submitted a building application for a 2 MW plant at the beginning of July this year. The corresponding application was published a few weeks later by the municipality of Niedergösgen.
Alpiq and H2 Energy now each own 45% in Hydrospider, whose site will start commercial operations by the end of the year. Jens Waldeck, Managing Director of the Linde Gases Division for Central Europe, said: “We look forward to working with H2 Energy, Alpiq and Hyundai on this exciting topic. The participation in Hydrospider offers Linde the opportunity to actively participate in one of the most attractive projects for green hydrogen and zero-emission mobility in Europe”.
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