The development of Italy’s first hydrogen valley, to be located just outside of Rome, has been kickstarted with a €14m investment.
Conceived by ENEA, the National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, the project will develop a national supply chain for production, transport, storage and use of hydrogen, focusing on research, technologies, infrastructures and innovative services.
Universities, research institutes, associations and companies will all play a part in the project to help it reach its full potential and boost the energy transition and decarbonisation across the country.
Construction will take place at the ENEA Casaccia Research Centre, on the outskirt of Rome, which will be the new home to an ensemble of hi-tech infrastructures for research and experimentation in the hydrogen supply chain.
Operations at the centre will range from production to distribution, from storage to use as a raw material for clean fuels production and as an energy carrier, to CO2 emissions reduction in the industry, mobility, power generation and residential sectors.
“In this multifunctional, comprehensive hub all the potentials of hydrogen to accelerate research and innovation and make hi-tech infrastructures available to bridge the gap between the lab and industry will be explored”, explained Giorgio Graditi, Head of the ENEA Department of Energy Technologies and Renewable Sources and ENEA representative in the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance.
“In order to create the first large-scale demonstrator of the actual feasibility of an hydrogen-based green economy, we will fully exploit the potential of our Casaccia Research Centre – over 100 hectares in area- hosting approximately 1000 researchers, important infrastructures and research laboratories, near 200 buildings, an autonomous gas and electricity network, roads and services.”
