The Power to Gas installation of the ORLEN Group put into operation

Now the possibilities of delivering hydrogen through natural gas distribution networks and using a mixture of these fuels in end devices will be tested.

As part of the program, test production of green hydrogen has already started using electricity from a photovoltaic farm with a capacity of almost 0.5 MW, operating at the PGNiG Branch in Odolanów. The capacity of the installation using the electrolysis process is 20 tons of hydrogen per year. The produced fuel will be combined with natural gas and then injected into the research distribution network to check how mixtures of hydrogen and natural gas affect individual infrastructure elements and receiving devices.

– The ORLEN Group has one of the largest gas distribution networks in Europe, with a length of 200,000 km. kilometers. Its use for the transmission of renewable hydrogen may accelerate the dissemination of this fuel in the economy. The InGrid Power to Gas project will answer the question of how to do it most effectively. The research work carried out in the demonstration installation covers the entire value chain, starting from the renewable energy source needed for the production of green hydrogen, through the experimental, closed distribution network, to the final devices in which mixtures of hydrogen and natural gas will be burned. We will use the unique knowledge and experience we will gain as part of InGrid Power to Gas for an effective and cost-effective energy transformation of the country - says Tomasz Jarmicki, Director of the ORLEN Gas Technologies Development and Implementation Office.

As a result of the tests, optimal proportions of hydrogen and gas mixtures will be determined, which will be safe for the distribution network. Then, the technical possibilities of their transmission will be verified. The final devices tested in the installation will be various models of heating boilers, power generators and gas cookers. The ORLEN Group expects the first results of these tests at the end of 2024.

The research installation in Odolanów also includes two energy storage facilities. One is an electricity storage facility with a capacity of 0.4 MWh, which can power the electrolyzer, the other is a hydrogen storage facility, which consists of two chambers - each with a capacity of 10 cubic meters, which can store over 50 kg of this fuel at a time. The electrolyzer used in the installation is one of the first and largest devices launched in Poland. Its power is 0.4 MW.

The InGrid Power to Gas installation will serve the research needs of entities from the ORLEN Group. It is also planned to make it available to the company's scientific and commercial partners. In the longer term, the work carried out in the demonstration installation will enable the commercialization of the technology, enabling the widespread use of hydrogen in green energy.

After completing the research work planned for a year, the installation will be used for further innovative projects, including: production of emission-free methanol using green hydrogen. It will also be able to produce a mixture of hydrogen and natural gas for the needs of local industrial customers.

The project is part of the strategic activities of the ORLEN Group, the aim of which is to achieve a strong position in the entire value chain of the hydrogen economy - from production, through distribution, to storage of renewable hydrogen.

Source: ORLEN