ORLEN’s hydrogen refuelling station opened in Poznań
ORLEN has inaugurated its first public 24-hour hydrogen refuelling station in Poznań, capable of serving cars, trucks and buses. The new station is a component of the Clean Cities project, co-financed by the EU under the CEF instrument and the national Green Public Transport programme. It will support a fleet of 25 city buses operated by the municipal transport company MPK Poznań, under a 15-year contract whereby ORLEN has committed to delivering 1.8 million kilograms of hydrogen fuel.
“Producing and distributing alternative fuels is a big part of the ORLEN Group’s energy transition. We see huge potential for hydrogen, especially in public transport. Building hydrogen refuelling stations is our way of meeting the growing demand from local governments like Poznań, moving towards zero-emission urban transport, but is also crucial for achieving our own strategic goals. Hydrogen is a safe alternative energy source for transport, helping to cut down carbon dioxide emissions in cities. This latest project will improve the quality of life for residents of Poznań. Throughout the term of our 15-year contract, we'll supply 1.8 million kilograms of hydrogen to Poznań's buses, helping to avoid 21 thousand tonnes of carbon emissions,” says Artur Osuchowski, Member of the ORLEN Management Board, Energy and Energy Transition.
Located on the premises of the ORLEN service station at 231 Warszawska Stret near the Miłostowo tram terminal in Poznań, the new station is open to the public on a 24/7 basis, serving all hydrogen-powered vehicles in addition to the Poznań city buses.
The facility features three dispensers: two with the 350 bar pressure for refuelling buses and trucks, and one with the 700 bar pressure suitable for passenger cars. Refuelling a bus takes approximately 15 minutes, with a daily hydrogen demand of about 30 kg, enabling a range of approximately 350 km. Passenger cars, with a tank capacity of 5 kg, can be refuelled in about 5 minutes, providing a driving range of approximately 600 km.
Hydrogen supplied to the Poznań station comes from the ORLEN Group’s plant in Włocławek. The station can dispense over one tonne of hydrogen per day, enough to meet the needs of up to 34 city buses (MPK Poznań’s target fleet size) plus several passenger vehicles.
Since June last year, hydrogen-fuelled vehicles have been in use for public transport passengers in Kraków, supported by ORLEN’s pilot refuelling station at the Wola Duchacka bus depot. Fuel for that station is sourced from Poland's first automotive grade hydrogen production hub in Trzebinia. Hydrogen bus tests have also been run in Płock and Katowice.
In the latter city, ORLEN will make a hydrogen refuelling station available by the end of this year. Further such facilities will be launched gradually over the coming years in Bielsko-Biała, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Wałbrzych, Kraków, Włocławek, Gdynia, Piła and Warsaw, as part of the second stage of the Clean Cities – Hydrogen Mobility in Poland project. In its third stage, 16 more stations are planned, with an unprecedented non-refundable EU grant of EUR 62 million received by ORLEN in April to support this project.
ORLEN’s plan is to build an international network of over 100 hydrogen refuelling stations spanning Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia to serve private, public, cargo, road and rail transport by 2030. Hydrogen will be delivered through a European chain of hydrogen hubs powered by renewable energy and innovative facilities converting municipal waste into zero- and low-carbon hydrogen. The ORLEN Group’s total electrolyser capacities are to reach about 1 GW by 2030, which, combined with the waste-to-hydrogen projects, will allow it to produce more than 130 thousand tonnes of renewable hydrogen annually by the end of this decade.
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