In Walbrzych, Orlen will build another hydrogen refueling station. The investment will be subsidized by the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (NFOŚiGW). The Fund announced its positive decision on the matter during a conference in Walbrzych on September 19, 2022. The station will be available for all hydrogen-powered vehicles. Its commissioning is planned for the first quarter of 2024. In the coming years, the fuel concern’s hydrogen stations will also be built in Poznan, Katowice, Bielsko-Biala, Gorzow Wielkopolski, Krakow, Warsaw and Pila. The corporation will spend PLN 7.4 billion on hydrogen investments until 2030.
According to the plan
– We are acting according to plan. In our hydrogen strategy until 2030, we declared the construction of more than 100 hydrogen refueling stations in Central Europe, and we are consistently pursuing this goal. Walbrzych is another city where we will invest, enabling its residents to refuel with clean, zero-emission fuel. We are a leader in modern mobility, based on advanced, environmentally friendly technologies. Their implementation effectively strengthens the competitiveness of our business and brings us closer to achieving emission neutrality by 2050. Hydrogen is also an important step in building energy independence for Poland – said Daniel Obajtek, CEO of PKN Orlen.
With a grant from the NFOŚiGW
The Walbrzych hydrogen refueling station will be publicly available and open 24 hours a day. Additionally, it will be adapted to power public transportation. The city received a grant from the National Environmental Protection and Water Management Fund for this purchase. Hydrogen will also be used to refuel passenger cars, and eventually trucks. Its launch is scheduled for the first half of 2024. The corporation has received a positive decision to subsidize this investment from the NFOŚiGW priority program „Support for electric vehicle charging and hydrogen refueling infrastructure”.
Many advantages of hydrogen
– The implementation of modern hydrogen technology will directly contribute to improving air quality in cities, as vehicles powered by this fuel emit only water vapor. It will also reduce noise levels, increasing travel comfort. Hydrogen has many advantages, which is why we will be developing this technology by undertaking cooperation with more partners – added Józef Węgrecki, PKN Orlen Board Member for Operations.
Hydrogen strategy
Orlen is pursuing the hydrogen strategy based on the ” Hydrogen Eagle” program, which calls for the establishment of a European network of hydrogen hubs powered by renewable energy sources by 2030, as well as innovative facilities converting municipal waste into zero- and low-emission hydrogen. The program will also build a network of more than 100 hydrogen refueling stations for individual, public and cargo transport, road and rail in Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. About 57 stations will be built in Poland, about 26 in Slovakia and about 28 in the Czech Republic.
EU funding
In September this year Orlen received more than PLN 60 million in non-refundable funding from the EU’s CEF Transport Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility program for the construction of publicly accessible hydrogen refueling stations in Bielsko-Biała, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Krakow, Warsaw and Piła. They will be put into operation in mid-2025. Meanwhile, the company has already launched its first mobile station in Poland this year in Krakow, and next year drivers will be able to use the hydrogen refueling infrastructure in Poznan and Katowice.