Chemicals producer Ineos has received state funding that it will use to complete a feasibility study for a 100MW green hydrogen project in Koln, Germany.
The company has secured €770,000 for the ChemCH2ange project from the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Ineos plans to build and operate a new green hydrogen plant at the site, as part of its €2bn package of green hydrogen projects across Europe announced in October last year.
The feasibility study will investigate how the green hydrogen production plant can be efficiently implemented at the Ineos Verbund site.
The support from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia will cover a quarter of the eligible costs for carrying out the study.
Ineos commercial energy manager Stephan Müller said: “Water electrolysis for the production of green hydrogen is an incredibly important component of our ambitious sustainability agenda with the goal of reaching net zero by 2045.
“The funding decision shows the significance that the state of NRW attaches to our project.”
The hydrogen produced in the plant using only renewable energy is to be used directly in the ammonia production plant at the site and, potentially in the future, for the production of methanol.
The climate-neutral production could also cover hydrogen needs in the Chempark and beyond, including regional transport.
The feasibility study is funded within the framework of the “Programme for the Rational Use of Energy, Renewable Energies and Energy Saving”, where the state of North Rhine-Westphalia bundles the majority of its funding activities in the area of climate and energy policy.