500 million project: Upper Austria is scheduled to go onto the hydrogen network in 2028

Hydrogen is considered a key technology for balancing fluctuations in the production of green electricity and decarbonizing industrial processes. In Upper Austria there is now the prospect of a hydrogen cycle with electrolysis, storage, power plant and pipelines on a large scale – it should become a reality in 2028.

In addition to existing development programs, a starting point are two research projects for which the state government released funding totaling four million euros on Monday and which were presented by State Energy Councilor Markus Achleitner (VP) and representatives of involved organizations.

Electrolysis with 200 megawatts

Firstly, the “HySolve” project at the Upper Austria University of Applied Sciences (FH), in which hydrogen is being researched as an energy source, fuel and storage medium.

Secondly, “ThermoGreenHydrogen”: H2 Powerlink GmbH is driving forward a lead project for energy conversion. The production, storage and use of hydrogen is being researched in combination with thermoelectricity, which converts unused industrial waste heat into electricity. The company was only founded this year: by Manuel Pfeil, who had previously worked at voestalpine for 18 years, Markus Adenbeck from Wels (engineering office for building technology) and two other colleagues. Research partners are the metallurgical competence center K1-Met (voestalpine, Primetals, JKU Linz, Montanuni Leoben) and the University of Applied Sciences.

The hydrogen cycle, which is planned to be in real operation from 2028, is to be developed and tested in a FH demonstration system in a hall in Wels. A battery storage system with 500 megawatt hours is intended to compensate for network fluctuations, while hydrogen serves as long-term energy storage. A 200 megawatt electrolyzer uses electricity from solar energy, wind and hydropower and splits water into oxygen and hydrogen. The latter also serves as fuel for various sectors and is used as a raw material in industry.

Image: Margot Haag

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Thomas Bürgler (l.), Markus Achleitner, Johann Kastner, Manuel Pfeil with a demo system that shows how waste heat is turned into electricity using thermoelectricity
Image: Margot Haag

According to Pfeil, the total investment volume is expected to be around 500 million euros. We are in discussions with potential partners. Large industrial companies, storage and network operators are likely to become part of the cycle.

Around half of the 500 million could come from EU and federal funding, the rest from the partners. But international funds are also available to invest, says Pfeil: “Upper Austria has a good chance of becoming one of the leading regions in the world in energy transformation.” K1-Met boss Thomas Bürgler says that the “coupling of the thermoelectric energy recovery system with an electrolyzer and a battery storage system is a world first.”

FH Vice President Johann Kastner wants to “make a decisive contribution to the energy transition”. State Councilor Achleitner sees the restructuring of the energy system as a “European work of art” that will require hundreds of billions of euros. You have to look at electricity, heat, mobility and industrial processes as a whole.

Austria’s gas industry emphasized on Monday in Vienna that gas will continue to be important for reliable energy supplies in the future. In order to be able to ensure the supply of biomethane and hydrogen in the future without fossil gas, we now need political support and clear framework conditions for investments in Austria’s gas infrastructure, said the vice president of the Association for the Gas and Water Industry (ÖVGW), Stefan Wagenhofer .