Frankenthal– H2 MOBILITY Deutschland and BASF are investing together in the construction of an H2 filling station in Frankenthal. With the delivery of important core components, a milestone has been reached on the way to completing the system. In the presence of the mayor of Frankenthal, Dr. The project partners have now presented the construction progress of the new H2 filling station in Frankenthal to Nicolas Meyer. Commissioning is planned for the fourth quarter of 2024.
A public hydrogen filling station is being built next to the BASF factory site in the Frankenthal district. In the future, cars and light commercial vehicles (700 bar) as well as trucks and buses (350 bar) will be able to refuel here. The heart of the gas station is the compressor and two medium and high pressure storage tanks, which were delivered this week. Until the planned opening at the end of 2024, the technical components of the system will be prepared for public use in a commissioning process lasting several months, including refueling tests.
“The construction of the hydrogen filling station in Frankenthal is an important component of the mobility and climate change for our city. I am pleased that this project will also make the hydrogen filling station available to the citizens of Frankenthal and the surrounding area. This hydrogen filling station is also an important pin on the logistics map for our business location,” said Mayor of Frankenthal Dr. Nicholas Meyer.
Efficient H2 filling station in Rhineland-Palatinate
For the first expansion stage, a daily capacity of 700 to 800 kilograms of hydrogen is planned, which corresponds to more than 30 trucks or buses. H2 MOBILITY, the builder and operator of the gas station, plans to double capacity in a second expansion stage by 2027. “Demand for heavy-duty transport will also increase significantly in this region. That’s why we’re building new locations like the one in Frankenthal that are many times larger than they were a few years ago. In the future, up to three vehicles will be able to refuel here at the same time, including buses and trucks with 350 bar as well as light commercial vehicles and cars with 700 bar. We are pleased to soon be putting a state-of-the-art, efficient gas station of this size into operation in Rhineland-Palatinate,” said Martin Jüngel, Managing Director and CFO of H2 MOBILITY Germany .
As part of the project, BASF will invest proportionately in the planned 350 bar module. The company’s goal is to help initiate a cross-sector hydrogen economy in the region. “CO2-free hydrogen is an integral part of our energy transformation at the Ludwigshafen site,” emphasizes Tilmann Hezel, Senior Vice President Infrastructure at the BASF Ludwigshafen site. “At the same time, hydrogen and a sufficient H2 infrastructure are fundamental for a change towards alternative drives. We want to use this intersection: With projects such as the H2 filling station, but also the water electrolyser currently under construction, we want to support regional mobility as well as our suppliers and transport companies at the location in switching to vehicles with fuel cell drives.”
Due to its location on the A6 via the Ludwigshafen Nord junction, the filling station is strategically well located and easy to access for logistics traffic in Rhineland-Palatinate and the cross-border region. The gas station also forms an important redundancy for the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region, where three more H2 MOBILITY gas stations of similar size and performance will be built by 2026.
Dr. Doris Wittneben, Head of Future Fields and Innovation Metropolregion Rhein-Neckar GmbH : “We are pleased that the hydrogen filling station in Frankenthal is another important component of the hydrogen ecosystem in the Rhine-Neckar region. The Frankenthal hydrogen filling station is part of the H2Rivers project, which the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region coordinates as part of the federal government’s HYLAND funding framework. From the production of climate-friendly hydrogen through renewable energies, to a new filling station infrastructure, to the use of fuel cell technology in public and municipal vehicles, the market readiness of hydrogen as an energy source is demonstrated.”
H2Rivers : Rhine-Neckar hydrogen demonstration project
The H2Rivers project paves the way for the nationwide market entry of emission-free hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in the mobility sector in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region and the central Neckar area. The development of the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region as a hydrogen region is supported by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure as part of the National Innovation Program for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP2) with €20 million in investment grants. The hydrogen filling station in Frankenthal will receive €1,288,000 in funding. The funding guidelines are coordinated by NOW GmbH and implemented by the Project Management Jülich (PtJ).
Pioneer in Europe: H2 MOBILITY station network
Cars and small commercial vehicles, including industrial trucks and garbage collectors, can currently refuel with hydrogen at 700 bar at over 80 public H2 MOBILITY filling stations. Four further 700 bar filling stations are being planned, constructed or commissioned. Refueling at 350 bar for trucks and buses is possible at 27 stations. 15 additional refueling options for 350 bar are being implemented. The network development takes place, among other things, along the TEN-T corridors and is always demand-oriented.
H2 MOBILITY Germany
H2 MOBILITY Germany is a pioneer in the development of a public hydrogen filling station network and Europe’s largest operator of public hydrogen stations. The business areas include technical development, financing, planning, construction, marketing and operation of the stations. H2 MOBILITY Deutschland was founded in 2015 as a project company with the aim of promoting hydrogen as an emission-free fuel in road transport. In 2022, the project company became a long-term, economically oriented company with the aim of contributing to the energy transition in transport through a high-performance hydrogen filling station network. H2 MOBILITY Germany has set itself the goal of converting completely to renewable hydrogen by 2028. Further information at www.h2-mobility.de.
BASF
Chemistry for a sustainable future, that’s what BASF stands for. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 112,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers from almost all industries and in almost all countries in the world. Our portfolio includes six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF achieved global sales of €68.9 billion in 2023. BASF shares are traded on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the USA. Further information at www.basf.com .
Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region
The Metropolitan Region Rhein-Neckar GmbH (Mannheim) was founded in 2006. In addition to the Rhine-Neckar Region Association and the Zukunft Metropolregion Rhein-Neckar e. V. the Rhine-Neckar, Palatinate and Darmstadt Chambers of Industry and Commerce as well as the Mannheim and Rhine-Main Chambers of Crafts. In cooperation with these and many other actors, the regional development company coordinates project work in the areas of energy, mobility, innovation promotion, labor market, education, health, digitalization, culture and administrative simplification. In addition, the Metropolregion Rhein-Neckar GmbH makes an important contribution to positioning and making Rhine-Neckar known through location marketing and public relations work. The Future Fields and Innovation Department of MRN GmbH coordinates the H2Rivers project ( h2rivers.de ).
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