On the occasion of #GreenGasMobilitySummit23, we interviewed Matthieu Brouté, Hydrogen Refueling Stations Product manager at Galp, silver sponsor of this edition of the congress.
- Why is Galp participating in this new edition of the Green Gas Mobility Summit?
In order to decarbonise transport or industrial activities and achieve a fully carbon neutral economy, clean energy carriers need to be used. Renewable gases, such as biomethane or green hydrogen, are presented as relevant solutions to support the decarbonisation of the transport segment. For this reason, and in relation to the agenda proposed by the event, Galp has decided to join this new edition of the Green Gas Mobility Summit. The event highlights the importance of partnering to accelerate the energy transition and offers the possibility to get in touch with relevant actors in the sector, two premises valued by Galp.
- Galp is the largest producer and consumer of hydrogen (grey) in Portugal, what projects is the multi-energy company currently working on?
Galp is implementing several concrete projects to gradually replace grey hydrogen, currently produced and consumed at its Sines refinery, with green hydrogen: We are developing a 2MW pilot for our Sines refinery; this project was the first step to develop our expertise in H2 production by electrolysis. The electrolyser will be connected to the Sines refinery. We are also executing a 100 MW project, fully integrated with the Sines refinery, which will be supplied by a combination of dedicated direct renewables and PPAs. This project is 100% owned by Galp and we expect to start production by the end of 2025. The third project, in which we are co-leader, has a capacity of 100MW and is being developed by the Green H2 Atlantic consortium of 13 companies. The plant will be located near our Sines refinery, which will initially absorb most of the production. The consortium has received grants from both Green Deal funding and the Innovation Fund. In parallel to these major projects, Galp is working on the following projects
the development of a network of HRS (hydroline stations) on the Iberian Peninsula to support the decarbonisation of our transport customers, for which we have obtained national and European support. And we are also evaluating opportunities linked to the production of synthetic fuels or marine e-fuels and sustainable aviation fuels (SAF).
- What is Galp’s vision of hydrogen as a sustainable mobility resource?
Galp se compromete a suministrar la energía adecuada para el uso adecuado. Creemos que la electricidad representará una solución para muchos casos de transporte. Sin embargo, para algunos tipos específicos de movilidad, que requieren un uso intensivo de los vehículos y una gran autonomía de conducción, creemos que el uso del hidrógeno es relevante. Por lo tanto, consideramos que el hidrógeno es una solución importante para las aplicaciones de movilidad, sobre todo para contribuir a la descarbonización del segmento de los vehículos pesados.
- What is the biggest challenge of hydrogen as a fuel?
The biggest challenge for green hydrogen as a fuel today is, compared to other energies, its cost. To increase its competitiveness, policy and regulatory support must be further developed, partnerships must be encouraged and project scalability and innovation must be fostered.
- To what extent is the current refuelling station infrastructure capable of supporting the uptake of hydrogen vehicles?
Existing refuelling stations are located in strategic locations (urban areas, logistics centres, long-distance freight corridors, etc.). Logically, some of them can be improved with adapted hydrogen refuelling infrastructure to facilitate the market penetration of hydrogen vehicles. The development of multi-energy stations or service hubs is part of Galp’s strategy to improve the customer experience.
- What are the main advantages of adopting hydrogen vehicles?
Fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs), in addition to being quiet and zero-emission, offer fast refuelling times and a long range. The experience with hydrogen vehicles is similar to using petrol or diesel in internal combustion vehicles. Payload is also preserved when using FCEVs, which is an important point, especially for the logistics sector.