INNIO in joint project with TIWAG subsidiary for green hydrogen

In a joint project, TINEXT, a subsidiary of State of Tyrol energy utility TIWAG, will supply INNIO, an energy solution and service provider headquartered in Jenbach, Austria, with green hydrogen (H2) by 2025. At the same time, excess power and heat will be fed into the local power grid and district heating network.

Vice president and site manager of INNIO’s Jenbacher site Martin Mühlbacher; TIWAG managing director Dipl.-Ing Thomas Gasser; and INNIO president and CEO Dr. Olaf Berlien. (Photo: Business Wire)

As part of the project, INNIO will install an electrolysis unit on the premises of TIWAG’s Achensee power plant that will convert green electricity into green H2. In turn, TINEXT will construct the compression and storage terminals, from which the H2 will be transported via pipeline from TINEXT to INNIO’S Jenbach operations.

The green H2 will supply INNIO’s primary operations in Jenbach, where it will primarily be used for hydrogen engine test runs; other applications are planned once sufficient quantities of H2 are available. All models of new Jenbacher gas engines became available with a “Ready for H2” option this year. They are capable of running with up to 25% volume of hydrogen in pipeline gas and being readily converted from natural gas to 100% hydrogen operation. 

“Using green hydrogen to generate power is an important step on INNIO’s journey to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the site in Jenbach,” said Martin Mühlbacher, vice president and site manager for INNIO in Jenbach. “Along with the use of a photovoltaic system, hydropower plant, battery storage, storage water heater (power-to-heat) and electromobility, this will make an important contribution to implementing our broad-ranging sustainability strategy.”

“This pioneering hydrogen project is a central element of Tyrol’s energy strategy of phasing out the use of fossil fuels. With this agreement, INNIO and TIWAG are showing how the transition to an energy-autonomous and climate-neutral energy supply for industrial companies can be realized,” said TIWAG managing director Dipl.-Ing Thomas Gasser.