Hera and Snam accelerate the energy transition. The two companies have signed a letter of intent for a technological collaboration aimed at the development of hydrogen, each for its own areas of activity. The agreement will boost the development of renewable energies in Italy, in line with the guidelines outlined by the European Union.
The goal is to experiment and subsequently create a series of solutions capable of responding to the needs of decarbonization of the Emilia-Romagna region in a transversal way, from productive realities to mobility and individual citizens. The agreement will eventually be the subject of subsequent binding agreements that the parties will define in compliance with the applicable regulatory profiles.
The agreement provides for various areas of action, starting with collaboration on power-to-gas technology. In particular, at the purification plant of the Bologna Corticella multi-utility, an innovative plant is in an advanced design stage which will make it possible to transform the excess of renewable electricity into "green" hydrogen to be introduced into the networks by exploiting the purified water and returning to the process of oxygen, biogas and sludge water purification and thus obtaining a "symbiosis" of mutual benefit between the two plants, with a further environmental benefit.
Still in the industrial field, the two companies will study the application of hydrogen for thermal uses in the most energy-intensive sectors and with processes that are difficult to electrify.
Among the other options under consideration is the creation of plants for extracting green hydrogen from water, using the renewable energy generated by the Hera Group's waste-to-energy plants, with the aim of contributing to the decarbonisation of industrial sectors such as the production of fertilizers and fuels.
Finally, the letter of intent provides for a possible joint experimentation of the introduction of a mixture of natural gas and hydrogen in a portion of Hera's distribution network in Emilia-Romagna, similar to what has already been done by Snam on its transmission network. The protagonist of this experimentation will be the Modena gas network.
"The agreement with Hera - commented the Chief Executive Officer of Snam, Marco Alvera – is part of the collaborations we are launching with energy and industrial companies to develop technologies related to hydrogen and carry out projects in various areas of the Italian territory. Hydrogen will be a decisive element, together with electricity from renewable sources, to allow Europe to become the first continent with net zero emissions in 2050”.
"With this alliance we want to make a concrete contribution to the development of the hydrogen option to pursue carbon neutrality in the territories, in line with the commitment to sustainable development that has always guided our actions - said the Chief Executive Officer of the Hera Group, Stefano Venier -. The signing of this protocol is part of the strategy drawn up by our Business Plan to 2024, which provides for numerous actions and investments for the energy transition and environmental protection in line with European strategies and the objectives of the UN 2030 Agenda".
