Green hydrogen production projects are being implemented in Vilnius
After the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Lithuania approved the support for green hydrogen projects, and with the approval of the Vilnius City Council, projects for the production and application of green hydrogen for use in transport are being implemented in the capital.
Vilnius City Municipality plans to purchase 16 hydrogen-powered buses to replace diesel-powered buses. In this way, the city’s dependence on fossil fuels will be reduced, and the emission of greenhouse gases and solid particles will decrease in the city. The waste heat generated in the hydrogen production process will be supplied to the centralized heating system of the city of Vilnius.
Green hydrogen is one of the most promising types of fuel in the search for solutions to the climate change problem in the transport sector. Green hydrogen is extracted from water by electrolysis, using electricity obtained from renewable energy sources, in the case of Vilnius – from a biofuel cogeneration power plant.
“Now more than ever, we are well aware of the importance of energy independence and the role of renewable energy resources in order to be energy independent. In addition, by 2030 we are committed to turning Vilnius into a climate-neutral city. By starting to produce the fuel of the future – green hydrogen, and by developing other renewable energy projects, we will be able to reduce the amount of fossil fuels,” says Vilnius City Mayor Valdas Benkunskas.
It is planned to produce 1,140,000 m3 of green hydrogen per year, which will be used by 16 hydrogen-powered public buses. They will replace diesel-powered buses, so around 1,414 tonnes of CO2 equivalent could be saved per year, which is the equivalent of around 1.7 million trips per bus. kilometers.
It is planned that the 3 MW electrolyzer installed in the territory of Vilnius thermal networks would be enough to produce hydrogen gas for 40 buses (after estimating the length of their average routes). The project envisages the installation of a hydrogen storage facility. A public access hydrogen station with hydrogen filling points will be installed in Justiniškės.
It is planned to produce green hydrogen in Vilnius from 2026.
The total value of the project is 8.056 million Eur. The Ministry of Energy will finance 70 percent project implementation funds (EUR 5.6 million), the rest – EUR 2.4 million EUR will be financed from the Municipal budget.
