Fusion Fuel, a leader in the green hydrogen sector, has been awarded a grant of 3.3 million euros towards the construction of a plant in Toledo to produce this clean fuel. The grant has been awarded through the H2 Pioneros Programme, with 150 million euros being allocated to support projects across the renewable hydrogen value chain.

The Portuguese company's project will have a capacity of 2.4 MW and will supply green hydrogen to industrial customers in the area, replacing the natural gas currently used. The grant will cover around 57% of the total investment foreseen for this plant, which will be built and commissioned in 2024.

Proprietary technology
The plant in Toledo will feature the latest generation of Fusion Fuel's Hevo solution and is expected to produce roughly 110 metric tonnes of green hydrogen per annum. The modular generator designed by the company is powered by a proprietary miniaturised electrolyser, also supplied to customers interested in building their own green hydrogen production.

The grant from the H2 Pioneros programme is one of the first calls from the Strategic Project for Economic Recovery and Transformation (PERTE) in relation to hydrogen, which aims to mobilise 6.9 billion euros of public investment. Another 18 projects across Spain have also been awarded grants.

Federico Chaves, Co-Head of Fusion Fuel, says the grant is “an important milestone for Fusion Fuel and our partner in Fusion Fuel Spain, as it represents the first allocation of PERTE funds in Spain, within an extremely competitive process and with 129 projects evaluated. Our project in Toledo now joins an ever-growing list of green hydrogen projects in Spain. With the land already secured, we hope to mobilise quickly to begin the permitting process, and with the aim of starting construction of the project in early 2024”.

First applications
In the meantime, the Portuguese company has entered into an agreement with Toyota Material Handling España (TMHES) to promote the green hydrogen fuel cell forklift market in Spain. The collaboration seeks to strengthen TMHES’ position in the segment in order to secure refuelling infrastructure.

It is one of the first commercial uses for green hydrogen. Both companies see the logistics sector as well suited to benefit from this solution as a critical decarbonisation vector in operations with high operating hours. Frederico Chaves sees great potential in an agreement “to help accelerate the deployment of Fusion Fuel’s technology and TMHES’ forklift solutions within the Spanish logistics and material handling market.”

Joan Catalan, CEO of Toyota Material Handling España says that “Hydrogen has been proven as a clear alternative to other sources of energy when talking about performance, quick refill and zero emissions in intensive applications”. He adds that his company “has been working on hydrogen for many years, starting with the Fuel Cell forklift prototype presented in 2005, so this cooperation agreement is a further step to reinforce the actions already underway.”

^{Photo: Fusion Fuel}