Companies announce joint venture to establish up to 250 hydrogen refuelling stations by 2026

Phillips 66 and H2 Energy Europe (“H2 Energy”) have unveiled their project to develop up to 250 hydrogen refuelling stations in Germany, Austria and Denmark by 2026 in a 50:50 joint venture between their subsidiaries, Phillips 66 Limited and H2 Energy Europe AG. The agreement is subject to regulatory approvals and customary contractual terms.

The joint venture’s future hydrogen refuelling network will consist of both existing JET® branded refuelling stations and new sites on key transport routes. H2 Energy will be responsible for the integration of hydrogen production, supply and refuelling technology through its own and affiliated companies. Public funding will be required to develop the hydrogen refuelling station network.

H2 Energy recently announced the construction of a 1-gigawatt electrolysis plant in Denmark, capable of producing up to 90,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year from offshore wind power.

Kurt-Christoph von Knobelsdorff, Managing Director NOW GmbH: “H2 Energy has already pioneered the use of fuel cell trucks in Switzerland. With the development of a multi-country hydrogen filling station network, they are rigorously continuing on this path together with their partners. This is also a success of the BMDV’s funding strategy for fuel cells in transport, the achievements of which the joint venture partners can now build on.”

Phillips 66 Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Phillips 66, a diversified power generation and logistics company based in the UK. Phillips 66 has a strong presence in Europe under its JET® brand with over 1,000 sites in the refuelling market and has a growing hydrogen refuelling station network in Switzerland through its shareholding in Coop Mineraloel AG.

Based in Switzerland, H2 Energy is a joint venture between commodity trading company Trafigura Pte Ltd and H2 Energy Holding AG, a leading hydrogen supplier in Europe investing in the production, distribution and recycling of green hydrogen. Through its subsidiaries, H2 Energy was the first company to design and supply hydrogen fuel cell trucks to commercial users.

The company has also created an ecosystem for green hydrogen refuelling in Switzerland. “We consider hydrogen and fuel cell technology to be an important tool in the energy transition,” says Rolf Huber, Founder of H2 Energy. “It buffers surplus electricity production while also storing and distributing renewably produced energy.”

The European subsidiaries of Phillips 66 and H2 Energy will use their respective know-how and experience to develop a distribution network that brings together the aspects of hydrogen supply, refuelling logistics and vehicle demand. The partners’ goal is to supply the refuelling network with green hydrogen as it becomes available. Demand is expected to partly be driven by H2 Energy’s investment in Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility, a retail and distribution partner in Europe for Hyundai’s commercial fuel cell electric heavy-duty trucks.

“At Phillips 66, we believe that broadening access to hydrogen is critical to a low-carbon energy future,” said Brian Mandell, Executive Vice President Marketing and Commercial at Phillips 66. “We are thrilled to be joining forces with H2 Energy, who have been exceptionally successful in developing technologies along the entire hydrogen value chain.”

Image source: NOW GmbH