Poland could be a 'hydrogen Kuwait' for transport needs - COP24

Hydrogen retrieval installations in industry, infrastructure for cars or locomotives driven by hydrogen and widespread hydrogen-powered public communication are to be the basis of a hydrogen revolution in transport, claim the gas's advocates.

Promoters of the 'fuel of the future' also claim Poland has the capacity to become a 'hydrogen Kuwait.'

Members of the 'hydrogen Poland' parliamentary team discussed the possibilities of using hydrogen on a wide scale in industry and transport at the COP24 climate summit in Katowice (southern Poland) on Friday.

"Hydrogen is the fuel of the future and Poland is among one of the biggest producers in the world - we can be a hydrogen Kuwait," asserted team leader Krzysztof Sitarski MP of the Kukiz '15 grouping. "We're creating the legal conditions for infrastructure development, technologies and hydrogen-powered cars are available. The Lotos refinery in Gdańsk alone produces 13 tonnes of hydrogen an hour, and the Jastrzębska Coal Company is in a position to produce hydrogen to power about 800 buses a year. The hydrogen revolution is starting, which will gain pace along with infrastructure development and availability of funds, including those earmarked for emission-free transport."

During COP24 Poland's number-two oil firm Lotos signed a contract for project co-financing under the name 'Pure H2' which foresees construction of a hydrogen retrieval installation at the Lotos refinery and two filling stations. The project is valued at EUR 10 million and is co-financed by the Connecting Europe Facility EU financing instrument. The filling stations in Gdańsk (northern Poland) and Warsaw are scheduled for completion by the end of 2021.