TÜV SÜD, a global provider of testing, inspection, and certification services, has developed a guideline for defining the “H2-Readiness” of power plants and is now offering an independent certification to original equipment manufacturers and engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) firms.
TÜV SÜD The certification provides utilities with more assurance when it comes to making investments. When it comes to “H2-Ready” power plants, Siemens Energy is the first company in the world to be certified. Siemens Energy subject matter experts collaborated on the development of the certification guideline.
Decarbonization of energy systems can be aided by hydrogen. CCPPs (combined cycle power plants) that burn natural gas are currently under construction or planned to run partially or entirely on hydrogen fuel in the future. In order to purchase this type of power plant, utilities will require a statement stating that the plant is capable of using hydrogen as a fuel. There are already some new gas-fired power plants that are being marketed as “H2-Ready” in the marketplace today. A clear definition of what this term means hasn’t been established until now.
“Our guideline enables OEMs, plant operators, and insurers to use a standard transparent framework”, says Reiner Block, CEO of the Industry Service Division at TÜV SÜD. “The certification covers a complete power plant with the relevant subsystems.”
H2-Ready certification doesn’t certify existing power plants; instead, it provides an outline of how they can be converted to co-fire hydrogen or even burn pure hydrogen in the future. A combined-cycle power plant must pass three stages to be certified: Initial certification for the conceptual design (including boundary conditions) during bidding; second certification for the implementation, i.e. the final plant design and its specifications; and third certification for the conversion of an existing coal-fired power plant to burn hydrogen, including evaluations of the retrofit measures and their effect on safety and performance.
“Hydrogen is an important building-block for decarbonizing the energy supply. An independent certificate creates certainty for investments. We’re proud to be the first manufacturer to receive this important certification,” says Karim Amin, Executive Vice President Generation at Siemens Energy. “If we design CCPPs today for future operation with hydrogen, they don’t just serve as a bridging technology to a CO2-free future, they’ll also make an important contribution to a reliable and affordable power supply in the long term.”
Not only will combined cycle power plants be converted to hydrogen power plants in order to meet ambitious climate goals. TÜV SÜD’s certification can be applied to a wide range of products and services. Hydrogen generation, storage, and re-electrification are already part of Siemens Energy’s hybrid solution portfolio. The company is currently working on a number of hydrogen-fired power plants in various stages of construction.
