Hera and Snam's joint project for the development of a green H₂ production hub in the municipality of Modena has obtained €19.5 MM in funding from the Regional Council of Emilia Romagna, which were allocated as part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). The hub will be built in a disused industrial area - as prescribed in the call for tenders - an exhausted landfill site in via Caruso in Modena, without any consumption of useful land.

More specifically, the area will host a 6-MW photovoltaic farm connected to an electrolyzer - a device designed to extract H₂ from water through the process of electrolysis - that will produce up to 400 tpy of H₂ using the electricity provided by the photovoltaic farm. To be able to power the electrolyzer also at night, the hub will be equipped with a battery to store the electricity. The total investment in these activities is expected to amount to €20.8 MM.

Orazio Iacono, CEO of the Hera Group, said, "This first yet important step in the development of the green H₂ value chain sees our Group laying the foundations to become a major player in the sector. This project shows Hera’s commitment to building partnerships with companies and communities in their path towards the energy transition thereby creating a positive impact on the environment, the economy and the local areas. We are aware that to cope with the emergency related to climate change as well as the energy transition, it is of paramount importance to work as an echo system, sharing the many resources and know-how the Hera Group alongside the different players of the served areas are able to carry out."

"For Snam, IdrogeMO is the first H₂ Valley project dedicated to industrial applications and the transport of H2, which is one of the EU's main energy transition goals.” – Stefano Venier, CEO of Snam commented. “This initiative to which we will contribute with managing the H₂ production facilities, enjoys the support of Emilia Romagna, one of the country's key regions in industrial terms, together with a local partner like Hera. The impetus to develop H₂ Valleys also represents a first step towards building corridors for the transport of green molecules that place Italy at the center of one of the H₂ highways as outlined in RePower EU. Snam's commitment to a carbon-neutral future is one of the cornerstones of our 2022-2026 strategic plan, where we have allocated €1 B to build a platform dedicated to decarbonization."              

The two companies will play a distinct but interconnected role in the building of the hub: Hera SpA will be the lead company, Herambiente will oversee building the photovoltaic system, and Snam will deal with the building of the H₂ production plant.

By implementing the IdrogeMO project, Hera Group and Snam will make a tangible contribution to carbon neutrality in the region of Emilia Romagna. It is expected that part of the H₂ produced will serve to supply local public transport companies with fuel for vehicles powered by green molecules. A part of it will instead be used by the local industrial sector for the decarbonization of its processes.