INNIO Group’s recently commissioned 1 MW-class hydrogen fired combined heat and power plant in Gampern, Austria, constructed for RAG Austria AG, is believed to be the first of its kind in Europe.
The Jenbacher plant is powered by green hydrogen, which is produced in summer through electrolysis of water using surplus solar power and stored in underground hydrogen storage in a porous reservoir at Rubensdorf, near Gampern, said to be the world’s first. This storage facility can hold up to 4.2 GWh of surplus solar power in the form of hydrogen. The electricity and heat generated in the Jenbacher CHP plant are used for the site’s local requirements, thereby achieving a very high utilisation rate.
With this flagship project, INNIO Group and RAG Austria believe they are helping the achievement of net-zero and helping to solve one of the central challenges of the energy transition: the seasonal storage of surplus solar power from the summer months for the energy-intensive winter. At the same time, the Jenbacher plant in Gampern is an important showcase project for the subsequent up–scaling and gradual replacement of natural gas with hydrogen.
“With [this] technology, we are able to decouple the generation of renewable energy from its consumption, thus enabling sustainable security of supply all year round,” said Markus Mitteregger, CEO of RAG Austria AG.
