A consortium consisting of 37 partners from Slovenia, Croatia and the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia in Italy, including the companies Gitone Kvarner and the Maritime Center of Excellence, signed the agreement with Clean Hydrogen Partnership.
According to a press release, the implementation of this European project within the Horizon Europe programme is aimed at establishing a hydrogen valley. It will be implemented from September 1, 2023, and will last 72 months and will include 17 pilot projects in all three partner territories.
"What is important for Croatia is that through this project we will get a Regional Center for Hydrogen, and the aforementioned companies will also work intensively on the project of developing and equipping hydrogen-powered vessels," said the director of the Maritime Center of Excellence Teuta Duletić.
A total of 37 organisations participate in the partnership (34 partners and 3 associated partners): companies, universities, institutes and other public institutions.
From the territory of Croatia, 6 companies, 3 scientific research organisations and the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development are involved in the project. Croatian partners will receive a total of €7.4 million in grants, according to the press release.
Industrial stakeholders from all three countries will develop pilot projects for the production of more than 5,000 tons of renewable hydrogen per year from renewable energy sources and for its storage, distribution and use.