The Snam Group, through its subsidiary Renovit, which specializes in energy efficiency solutions, and SAGAT SpA, the Torino Airport Management Company, have signed a term sheet for the construction of a “hydrogen-ready” fuel cell system in cogeneration mode with a capacity of 1.2 MW at Torino Airport.
The fuel cell, which was designed and developed by Snam’s Hydrogen Business Unit in collaboration with FuelCell Energy in the United States, is the first of its kind and size in Italy, and it can generate electricity and heat using a variable percentage of hydrogen blended with natural gas. In the second quarter of 2023, the fuel cell will be installed at Torino Airport, which will be the first in Italy to do so.
Marco Alverà, CEO of Snam, said: “Hydrogen will play a key role in the pursuit of net zero emissions in many sectors, including airport and port infrastructure. With this agreement, we are providing Torino Airport with an effective and innovative energy solution that will immediately reduce emissions and integrate increasing amounts of hydrogen to achieve carbon neutrality”.
“The implementation of this solution,” commented Andrea Andorno, CEO of Torino Airport, “is the flagship project of our Torino Green Airport sustainability programme, which was announced last July and includes all of the airport’s sustainability initiatives aimed at reducing environmental consumption and emissions, confirming our concrete commitment in this direction. In Snam we have found the right partner for the implementation of an innovative project, which immediately contributes to the creation of demand for clean energy such as hydrogen and other gaseous carriers from certified renewable sources, a fundamental step to concretely start the country’s energy transition. This project will also enable us to anticipate our goal of zero emissions by 2050”.
The fuel cell system can generate up to 1.2 MWh of electricity and 840 kWh of heat per hour, and it can run on hydrogen mixed with up to 40% natural gas by volume. Using natural gas-fueled fuel cells instead of traditional cogeneration ensures a significant reduction in particulate emissions and a reduction in CO 2 emissions of 1,630 tonnes per year, equivalent to 1 million car journeys on the Turin city center-airport route. The use of hydrogen and biomethane to fuel the fuel cell reduces greenhouse gas emissions even more.
Torino Airport will be able to self-produce electricity, heat, and cooling energy to partially cover its energy needs, which are currently equal to 17,000 MWh for electricity and 8,714 MWh for heat energy, thanks to the cogeneration solution proposed by the Snam group, which was chosen following a procedure launched by SAGAT last April. Implementing a hydrogen-ready fuel cell will allow the airport to meet the highest efficiency and environmental sustainability standards, allowing it to meet its goal of reducing net emissions by 50% by 2050. Torino Airport already receives 100 percent of its electricity from certified renewable sources, and the project will allow for immediate energy efficiency improvements.
The contract, which will be awarded, will be worth around 14 million euros.
The initiative is part of Snam’s strategy to develop integrated energy transition technologies and solutions, including energy efficiency and hydrogen, that can help the industry and the entire economy decarbonize.
