STATUS OF THE HYDRO-HYDROGEN PILOT PROJECT (EQHHPP)

The concept of a hydrogen-based, clean, renewable energy system, conceived by the Joint Research Centre Ispra of the Commission of the European Communities, is currently being investigated by European and Canadian industries, coordinated by the JRC-Ispra of the Commission of the European Communities and the Government of Quebec. The 100 MW pilot project is to demonstrate the provision of clean and renewable primary energy in the form of already available hydroelectricity from Quebec, converted via electrolysis into hydrogen and shipped to Europe, where it is stored and used in different ways: electricity/heat cogeneration, vehicle and aviation propulsion, steel fabrication and hydrogen enrichment of natural gas for use in industry and households. Phase II, the detailed system definition, indicates the costs of the electrolytic hydrogen produced with hydropower, which would be available at 2 cents(ECU) kWh(-1) (cents of European Unit of Account, reference price for cost calculation) shipped to and stored in a European port, as 14.8 cents(ECU) kWh(-1) in the form of liquid hydrogen. The present Phase III, 0 is a hydrogen demonstration programme on the utilization of hydrogen in the fields of vehicle and aviation propulsion, steel fabrication and advanced techniques of liquid hydrogen storage. This phase also involves detailed studies of safety measures and codes, along with socio-economic studies on the comparison of hydrogen with conventional fuels.