- Station will Become Third Publicly Accessible Hydrogen Refuelling Station in the Netherlands
Together with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, the province of Gelderland and the municipality of Arnhem, clean fuel provider PitPoint will build and operate a public hydrogen refuelling station in Arnhem – the third one in the Netherlands. The new station is set to open in June 2019. Alongside building this station, the project partners are also jointly investigating options for stimulating the use of hydrogen-powered vehicles.
In addition to its hydrogen stations for buses in Antwerp and Delfzijl, this will be PitPoint’s third hydrogen refuelling station. The new hydrogen station will be built in the same location where PitPoint currently operates a CNG station. The station on the Westervoortsedijk will be suitable for filling passenger vehicles (700 bar) as well as buses and refuse collection vehicles (350 bar). The hydrogen will be produced on site using technology provided by HyGear, an Arnhem-based company. Oskar Voorsmit, Business Development Manager Hydrogen at PitPoint, comments: “We strongly believe in hydrogen as a clean fuel, and are very pleased to be able to invest in a refuelling station in this region to help get more hydrogen-powered vehicles on the road.”
Arnhem city aldermen Cathelijne Bouwkamp (Climate & Energy) and Jan van Dellen (Economy) are also enthusiastic about the new hydrogen station. According to Bouwkamp: “When it comes to sustainability, Arnhem has major ambitions. With the knowledge and expertise we’ve gained in Arnhem regarding hydrogen, this station is a logical step and shows that we’re actively contributing to the energy transition that’s already underway.” Van Dellen also sees economic opportunities, saying: “With this station, Arnhem is demonstrating its innovative strength. I’m convinced it will make Arnhem increasingly attractive to forward-thinking companies.”
NATIONAL COVERAGE H2 STATIONS
This new station is being realised under the banner of the H2Nodes project, financed at 50% by the Connecting European Facility (CEF). In addition, this project receives funding from the DKTI scheme, a Dutch government programme that supports sustainable transport. The Dutch government has set a target of having 20 hydrogen refuelling stations operational in the Netherlands by 2020. The construction of the new station in Arnhem is thus an important step in creating a sufficient network of publicly accessible hydrogen stations in the Netherlands.
HYDROGEN BUSES
The hydrogen fuel cell buses from the province of Gelderland will be among the first to use the new fuelling station. Voorsmit comments: “We’re very pleased, because it’s essential to have vehicles using this station. After all, a fuelling station alone won’t create cleaner air. Together, we can overcome this crucial predicament: no vehicles without fuelling stations, and no fuelling stations without vehicles.”
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