Located at the Smurfit Kappa Saillat Paper Mill in Saillat-sur-Vienne, France, the HYFLEXPOWER project aims to demonstrate that green hydrogen can serve as a flexible means of storing energy that can then be used to power an industrial turbine. The hydrogen is produced on-site with an electrolyzer and, mixed with 70 vol% of natural gas, used in a gas turbine for power generation.
The project marks the implementation of the world’s first industrial-scale power-to-X-to-power demonstration with an advanced turbine with high hydrogen content fuel. In 2023, trials will continue to increase the hydrogen ratio up to 100%.
While the large-scale availability of green hydrogen is still some way off, the members of the consortium are focused on looking beyond 2030 and trialing new technology today. This project will allow the partners to understand the technical feasibility of using hydrogen while retaining much of the existing energy infrastructure.
The stakeholders involved in the project are ENGIE Solutions, Siemens Energy, Centrax, ARTTIC, German Aerospace Center (DLR), and universities NTUA Athens (Greece), Lund (Sweden), Duisburg-Essen (Germany), and UCL (UK).
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The project, first announced in 2020, involves significant funding by the European Commission, with two-thirds of the €15.2 million investment coming from the EU’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. The next trials for the HYFLEXPOWER project are scheduled for summer 2023.
Commenting on the end of the initial testing phase, Gaël Carayon, Project Director at ENGIE Solutions, said: “Ambitious projects like this one require taking partnerships to the next level and being united in a joint mission to make decarbonization a reality. Hydrogen will play a crucial role in the interaction between renewables and electricity storage and generation. ENGIE Solutions is proud to participate to this unique project.”
Dr. Ertan Yilmaz, HYFLEXPOWER Global Director at Siemens Energy, said: “With the HYFLEXPOWER project we are showcasing that carbon-neutral and reliable power supply is possible – even for energy-intensive industries. Hydrogen-ready turbines will play a decisive role in climate-neutral energy, so it is very exciting to be looking forward to the next phase of testing.”
Photo: Installation of the SGT-400 gas turbine. Photo credit: ENGIE Solutions – Arnaud Baguet – Focal Studio
