The project's total budget is close to €15.2 million, of which €10.5 million will be contributed entirely by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 program.
Engie Solution operates a 12 MWe combined heat and power (CHP) plant at the Smurfit Kappa site which produces steam for the manufacturing company's requirements. This power plant will be used for demonstration project as the conversion of existing infrastructure helps to significantly lower costs and lead time.
To prove the Smurfit’s CHP plant can run up to 100% on renewable hydrogen, Siemens will upgrade a SGT-400 gas turbine needs to convert stored hydrogen into electricity and thermal energy and will also supply the electrolyser for hydrogen production.
Works began in May 2020
Engineering works were launched in May at Smurfit Kappa PRF’s site - a company specialized in manufacturing recycled paper in Saillat-sur-Vienne, France.
Each stakeholder of the European consortium has a clearly defined role: Engie will build the hydrogen production station and the mixing gas/hydrogen mixing station in 2021, which will be followed by Siemen’ installation of the gas turbine in 2020 and initial demonstration of the pilot plant concept.
Centrax will help upgrade and install the new turbine, German Aerospace Center (DLR) - together with University College London, University of Duisburg-Essen and Lund University - will support the hydrogen turbine technology development, Athens’ technical university will assess the concept while attic will support the operational project management
Aiming for full hydrogen firing by 2023
During two demonstration campaigns, the facility will be powered by a mix of natural gas and hydrogen, ultimately aiming for up to 100% hydrogen operation by 2023.
“Our goal is to make our gas turbines usable for 100 percent hydrogen. With that, our gas turbines can be the “technology of choice” for our customers to complement the intermittence of renewables and ensure a secure energy supply in the decarbonized world of the future,” said Karim Amin, CEO of the Generation Division of Siemens Gas and Power.
Project partner see the storing of fluctuating renewable energy as “one of the major challenges of the energy transition.” Striving to store excess renewable energy in the form of green hydrogen, the HYFLEXPOWER project will then test an entirely green hydrogen-based power supply for a completely carbon-free energy mix. This would save up to 65,000 tons of CO2 per year for a SGT-400 at baseload operation.