“The project marks a milestone for our company, but also for the energy transition in Germany,” said Dr. Jochen Ahn, one of the founders of ABO Energy. “The plant is unique in Germany and one of the first projects to produce certified green hydrogen. Only green hydrogen will help us sustainably transform the energy system and achieve our goal of greenhouse gas (GHG) neutrality by 2045. It is therefore important that the new German government presses the accelerator on the issue of hydrogen.”
Benjamin Tschesnok, Mayor of Hünfeld, commented: “When ABO Energy first contacted us four years ago, we absolutely wanted to be part of this flagship project. We see ourselves as an innovative city that is driving the energy transition forward. This project makes an important regional contribution to this.”
Internally, it was primarily the Future Energies Department that founded ABO Energy 12 years ago. The team conducted initial analyses and feasibility studies and continuously developed the project idea within the HyWheels hydrogen cluster. ABO Energy was recently awarded the BSFZ seal of approval by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research for its commitment to the hydrogen sector. A key success factor in the planning and implementation was the partner company ABO Kraft & Wärme, which will also operate the filling station.
The project received a total of €12 million in funding from the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV) as part of the National Innovation Program for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP). Funding for this measure is also provided as part of the German Recovery and Resilience Plan (DARP) through the European Recovery and Resilience Facilities (ARF) in the NextGenerationEU programme. The funding guidelines are coordinated by NOW GmbH and implemented by the Project Management Agency Jülich (PtJ).