Green light from ZES to the first Hydrogen Valley in Calabria region

The first Hydrogen Valley in Southern Italy will arise in Calabria. With the release of the single authorization for the realization of the project, the only one in the whole region, Lamezia Terme will thus find itself hosting the first one built among the 28 sites in southern Italy (for a total of 54 in the national territory) identified by the Government to be financed as part of the PNRR for the development of the hydrogen supply chain in the South. The “Hydrogen Valley Lamezia Terme” project will be built in the abandoned area of ​​the former Sir, where an industrial dream that never took off lies. The project, proposed by Teca Gas Srl, was designed and engineered by Techfem.

The Lamezia plant will produce hydrogen (2MW), will have storage and compression areas (up to 220 barg), will be powered by a 461 kW photovoltaic park and will also have a loading bay available for filling cylinder trailers to transport hydrogen. Teca Gas, which already deals with LPG bottling, will expand its range of action: the project’s ambitious objective is to promote the local production and use of hydrogen in industry and transport, giving life to the Hydrogen Valley model, already developed in some European Union countries.

«This initiative – explains Federico Ferrini, CEO of Techfem – represents a significant step towards the ecological transition and sustainable development of the region. I believe it is an important milestone that places Calabria at the forefront in the development of renewable energy and in the promotion of sustainable and innovative energy solutions.” Echoing him, Pasquale Rocca, of Teca Gas: «This project undoubtedly marks an important phase for our territory and we can only be extremely proud to take part in this small but great revolution».

The plant will be put into service by 30 June 2026 and constitutes one of the relevant projects of Techfem’s 2024-2026 Industrial Plan which provides for an increase in employment of a further 50 people in the Lamezia Terme headquarters alone. The project is financed under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), Mission 2 “Green revolution and ecological transition”, Component 2 “Renewable energy, hydrogen, network and sustainable mobility”, investment 3.1 “Production in disused industrial areas ”. This investment is supported by the European Union – NEXT Generation EU, based on the resources referred to in the executive decree of the Calabria Region n.73 of 01/05/2023.

Despite the initial success of Teca and Techfem, the transition to the hydrogen economy is complex. In Italy, companies face difficulties in obtaining authorizations to build plants and refueling stations due to an uncertain regulatory framework. This regulatory uncertainty, both at a national and local level, slows down times and increases the risk of delays in projects, compromising the timetables envisaged by the PNRR.