Hydrogen production plant in St. Gallen's Kubel
The SAK (St. Gallisch-Appenzellische Kraftwerke AG) and the Osterwalder Group officially started building the hydrogen production plant. The purpose of the company is the production of CO2-neutral hydrogen (H2), produced with the support of the Kubel hydropower and storage power plant. Commissioning is planned for summer 2022.
The hydrogen production plant is of great importance for the canton. Marc Mächler says: “In the future, hydrogen can play an important role in the decarbonisation of mobility. Far-sighted pioneering projects are therefore required to make this energy source attractive. For this reason, it is gratifying that domestic and clean hydrogen can be produced in St. Gallen with this production facility. " The promotion of renewable energies is a major concern of the government, which is why the topic is anchored in its priority planning for the years 2021 to 2031.
Hydrogen produced with hydropower
The goal is to produce hydrogen itself as a competitive and CO2-neutral alternative for heavy transport. Stefano Garbin explains: “For H2 production, we get the electricity from the adjacent hydropower plant. This enables us to produce the hydrogen in a CO2-neutral manner. The fuel offers potential in the area of mobility and the implementation of climate targets.
H2 for several million truck kilometers per year
The construction phase for the hydrogen production plant takes about eight months. “Our goal is to start H2 production in June 2022 and to produce between 220 and 250 tons of H2 per year. With this production rate, we can deliver up to four containers of hydrogen to the filling station. A truck with a fuel cell consumes around eight kilograms of hydrogen per kilometer. Our annual production volume is sufficient for approx. 3.75 million truck kilometers. In the case of a car, this would be sufficient for up to 25 million kilometers, ”explains Reto Zuglian.