The Italian green hydrogen project finally has a name, coordination and financial allocation. For now it is an announcement, but it starts a journey that will last 48 months. The three sure points are the name Green Hydra, coordination by the Municipality of Ravenna and 2 million euros to spend.
A European game is underway on clean hydrogen, as it is - as the Municipality of Ravenna recalls today - a "key element of the European decarbonisation and energy independence strategy". Well. Since the time of the Draghi government, Italy has declared that it wants to play the game and has presented its project now approved as part of the Interreg Europe cooperation program.
The Municipality of Ravenna will coordinate public and private partners of eleven countriesthe. Besides Italy there are Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Ireland, Lithuania, Norway, Holland, Poland, Slovenia and Spain. A sustainable industrial frontier, full of hope. The picture is reversed compared to what is happening these days for the former Ilva of Taranto. There are no partner countries, the minister Adolfo Urso and the government want to do everything at home and in the end the green transition for steel wanders across distant universes, with Europe completely absent.
Returning to Emilia Romagna, a Hydrogen valley of international dimensions will be created in Ravenna. The main strands will be research and production of the energy source and both should also interest local small and medium-sized businesses. One schedule which is taking shape in other Italian regions with the difference that in Ravenna the objectives have an extra-national dimension.
European horizon and local development
Among the partners of Green Hydra there is also the Region from which Ravenna expects initiatives, so to speak on the sidelines, to "create conditions for the development of our entrepreneurial fabric and support the development of the skills and knowledge required by this challenging green hydrogen”. Not exactly in a speed way, because we have 48 months ahead of us including an analysis of the existing situation and an exchange of good practices and experiences between the partners.
The environmental matrix is out of the question, but in the consultation table that is being set up between the partners, the best technological solutions will have to be evaluated - electrolysis or otherwise - so as not to expose Walley to any criticism on the production of hydrogen.
“The potential of green hydrogen in Europe's green transition and climate neutrality is well established – said the mayor Michele de Pascale and the councilor for economic development Annagiulia Randi – but how can we act on the production and use side to make this energy source economically sustainable? How can we encourage the protagonism of our medium and small businesses?”. True, these are questions that will have to be answered in the interests of thousands of employees, but above all after the industrial area of Ravenna was an excellence in chemistry, petrochemistry and oil refining. Change to improve.
