The first two hydrogen refueling points will be in service in Gdańsk and Warsaw at the end of 2021. Both sites together with the installation for the purification and distribution of hydrogen form the Pure H2 project , will be 20% paid from EU funds. The contract for financing the investment worth 10 million euros will be signed during the COP24 Climate Summit in Katowice.
For the first time, hydrogen will be available in the immediate vicinity of the Gdańsk refinery and at the Warsaw petrol station of the LOTOS network at ul. Łopuszańska. This station is part of the Blue Trail, a project for the development of a network of charging stations for electric and hybrid cars at LOTOS stations. The first 12 charging stations were made available to drivers in the autumn of 2018, another 38 will be put into service in 2020.
“As part of its strategy until 2022, Grupa LOTOS identified projects of alternative fuels as one of the priorities. It is an innovative activity, from which significant revenues may appear in the future” – says Mateusz A. Bonca , President of the Management Board of Grupa LOTOS SA
From Gdansk to Warsaw on one tank of hydrogen
Before the hydrogen refueling points appear, the refinery in Gdańsk will be equipped with an installation for its purification and a sales and distribution station for that fuel. Hydrogen with very high purity (99.999%) is needed to power hydrogen cells that drive the electric motor. This kind of clean fuel will ensure long range of the vehicle (450 km) without the need for additional hydrogen refueling on the route between the capital of Poland and the refinery in Gdańsk and will reduce the investment costs in additional power grid infrastructure.
“Water has significant potential to reduce CO 2 emissions in transport , especially since this technology will be developed primarily on the basis of public transport – emphasizes Patryk Demski , Vice President of the Management Board for Investment and Innovation of Grupa LOTOS SA . “Grupa LOTOS implements investments infrastructure, allowing wider use of alternative fuels. The company also cooperates with local governments. This year, letters of intent were signed with Gdynia and Wejherowo on the supply of hydrogen for the drive of city buses .”
5 kg of hydrogen, please
The Gdańsk refinery currently produces about 13 tons of hydrogen per hour, and after the completion of the EFRA Project it will be over 16.5 t / h. The average passenger car consumes 1 kg of hydrogen per 100 km. On the other hand, a hydrogen bus consumes within a year the amount of hydrogen that Grupa LOTOS installations produce within one hour.
Purified hydrogen can be used not only in road transport, but also in the IT industry, medicine, or the food industry. So far, pure hydrogen has to be imported, which is why its widespread use is quite limited.
The Pure H2 project, implemented by LOTOS, will be supported under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).
LOTOS is a Polish capital group whose activity is of strategic importance for national and European security in the energy sector and the Polish economy. LOTOS extracts natural gas and crude oil in Poland, Norway and Lithuania. It belongs to him, located in Gdańsk, one of the most modern European refineries, where the raw material is processed mainly for high quality fuels, including premium fuels – LOTOS Dynamic, as well as aviation and shipping fuel.
He also occupies the position of the second railway carrier in the country. LOTOS is also a leading manufacturer of road bitumens, motor oils and lubricants for cars, aircraft, trains, ships and even military vehicles.
LOTOS Paliwa is a company from the LOTOS Group that manages a network of almost 500 fuel stations located throughout the country: on motorways, expressways, in large urban agglomerations and smaller towns.
The main area of the company’s operations is the management of the service station network, retail trade and development of the retail and wholesale sales network.
For the coming years, the company’s strategy assumes striving to have a geographically balanced and visually uniform network, allowing access to products and services of the LOTOS brand for a maximum group of clients. Until 2022, LOTOS Paliwa intends to introduce alternative fuels for transport at its own stations. The first stage is the launch of 12 charging points for electric vehicles on the A1 and A2 motorways on the Tricity-Warsaw route (in both directions).
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