NatPower H, the world’s leading developer for the production, storage and distribution of green hydrogen and part of the NatPower Group, and Bluegame, an Italian excellence in boat building and member of the Sanlorenzo Group, have announced the completion of Italy’s first hydrogen refuelling for marine use, and one of the first in the world. This took place on board the BGH, the zero-emissions chase boat that will fly at 50 knots alongside two major teams during the 37th America’s Cup.
With this refuelling operation, Bluegame and NatPower H have announced a partnership that sees two highly innovative companies allied in developing a long-term strategy to support the energy transition in the boating sector. Their goal is to promote the use of hydrogen in leisure boating and revolutionise a sector committed to environmental sustainability and technological progress. This combination of skills will pave the way for entirely emissions-free boating in the future.
The refuelling of the BGH with green hydrogen – for which special thanks goes to the Port System Authority of the Eastern Ligurian Sea – was successfully performed in the Sanlorenzo shipyard of La Spezia at a pressure of approximately 180 bar. The operation, which was carried out by NatPower H, took 30 minutes, and officially kicks off the testing phase of the two boats, which will culminate with a final refuelling at a pressure of 350 bar, scheduled for the month of July.
‘The story of Bluegame is a story of courage. The courage to continue to dare – Memento audere semper (‘always remember to dare’), as Gabriele d’Annunzio would say,’ commented Carla Demaria, CEO of Bluegame. From its origins with the creation of the first unconventional BG boat, which defied categorisation and created its own segment in the sector, to the recent technological challenge of designing and building to comply with the very demanding America’s Cup protocol – BGH, the hydrogen-powered chase boat that will fly on foils at 50 knots with zero emissions (apart from a few drops of water) alongside the American Magic and the French Orient Express Racing Team challengers in the 37th edition of the America’s Cup. BGH represents the pinnacle of sustainability possible today, and its project is part of the ‘Road to 2030’ global sustainability strategy of the Sanlorenzo Group, a pioneer in the path towards carbon neutrality. The exclusive use of hydrogen as a propulsion system is a complete novelty not only for Bluegame and the Sanlorenzo Group but for the entire leisure boating sector: it is thus not an endpoint but a starting point.
‘The completion of the chase boat’s refuelling is an operation that revolutionises the Italian and international boating market, paving the way for new generations of zero CO2 emission boats`, said Andrea Minerdo, CEO of NatPower H . ‘NatPower H has set out on this new route by creating the world’s first comprehensive infrastructure for hydrogen refuelling in leisure boating. This project also marks a new direction in the way we sail. By using hydrogen as a green fuel, we can redesign the boating industry to be more mindful of the beauty of the environment and responsible for the fragility of our marine ecosystem. The commitment and partnership between NatPower H and Bluegame represent the first significant step towards the green transition in the yacht and superyacht industry‘.
NatPower H
NatPower H is the world’s leading developer of innovative infrastructure for the production, storage and distribution of green hydrogen. NatPower H is part of the NatPower Group, an independent developer of infrastructural projects for clean energy generation, providing support to enterprises, utilities and investors globally. The company, boasting one of the largest renewable energy project pipelines in the world—totalling more than 30 GW—drives the energy transition process across all major technologies including solar, wind, storage and hydrogen. In just a few years, NatPower has secured its standing as one of the most prominent independent developers, with operations in seven different countries: Italy, UK, Kazakhstan, USA, Canada, Tunisia and Chile. With three offices in Milan, London and Washington D.C., the company has a workforce of more than 70 employees across three continents.
Bluegame
Bluegame was founded in 2004 through Luca Santella’s dedication and ambition to create functional and efficient boats that are unique on the market, unconventional, and defy categorisation. This vision translates into the historic BG range, a perfect synthesis of sophisticated design and the authenticity of an uncompromising experience of the sea. In 2018, joining the Sanlorenzo Group changed the paradigm for Bluegame, opening incredible development opportunities. Under the leadership of CEO Carla Demaria and Head of Product Strategy Luca Santella, the company has experienced extraordinary growth, with revenue multiplying 16 times in five years. New lines have progressively joined the historic BG range, while staying true to its heritage: the BGX line, where ‘X’ recalls the crossover spirit present on Sanlorenzo’s SX boats, and the BGM line with the first luxury multihull in the history of both Sanlorenzo and the market. However, sustainability is always the focus of Bluegame’s design, epitomised by BGH, the hydrogen-powered chase boat using foils that will fly alongside American Magic and Orient Express Racing Team during the 37th Edition of the America’s Cup. This is not an endpoint but a starting point for the shipyard, which will leverage this experience on the new BGF line of foil multihulls to be launched on the market in 2025.
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