The ‘Hector’ project will use benzyltoluene (LHC-BT) to safely store hydrogen, with commissioning planned for the end of 2027 and an expected capacity of approximately 1,800 tonnes of hydrogen per year.
The permit, issued by the District Government of Cologne under Germany’s Federal Immission Control Act, marks a key milestone for Hydrogenious LOHC and validates the maturity of its technology for industrial-scale deployment. The project is being managed by LOHC Industrial Solutions NRW GmbH, a subsidiary of Hydrogenious based in Neuss.
The plant will be located at Covestro’s Chempark Dormagen site. Covestro, a shareholder in Hydrogenious since 2019, will supply RFNBO-classified hydrogen produced at its chlorine electrolysis facilities. In addition to commercial objectives, the Hector project will advance scientific research in collaboration with the Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy (HI ERN), part of Forschungszentrum Jülich. HI ERN’s work will focus on catalyst optimisation, material quality assurance, and industrial-scale process validation. The project is supported by €9 million in funding from North Rhine-Westphalia’s progress.nrw programme, of which approximately €2 million is allocated to HI ERN.
Once operational, the storage plant will feed into Hydrogenious’ IPCEI ‘Green Hydrogen @ Blue Danube’ initiative, supplying industrial offtakers in southern Bavaria via a release plant in the Ingolstadt region. This forms part of the ‘LOHC Link’ umbrella project, aimed at establishing a resilient hydrogen supply chain for regions without direct port or pipeline access.
Dr. Andreas Lehmann, CEO of Hydrogenious LOHC Technologies, stated: “The official approval of the storage plant is a significant achievement for our team and partners. It demonstrates the viability of our LOHC technology on an industrial scale and marks an important step forward in our mission to advance the hydrogen economy. We are grateful for the support of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and our partners and look forward to the progress of this groundbreaking project.”
