• A 3 MW green hydrogen plant has been completed at Vilnius CHP-2, with equipment testing underway and the capital's first public hydrogen filling point being installed in Viršuliškės.
• The project will fuel 16 city buses in its first phase, cutting an estimated 1,400 tonnes of CO₂ a year, with capacity sufficient for around 40 buses.

 

Vilnius--The green hydrogen plant on the site of the Vilnius Second Combined Heat and Power Plant has been completed, with testing of equipment and systems currently underway. The capital's first publicly available hydrogen filling point is being installed at the Viršuliškės public transport park, Justiniškių g. 14.

 

The plant was built under the project "Production of Green Hydrogen for Public Transport in Vilnius City," carried out by Miesto gijos together with its shareholder Vilnius City Municipality. The project financing agreement was concluded with the Central Project Management Agency. The general contractor was MT Group.

 

Funding

The overall project is now valued at about €10 million [approximately $10.8 million USD]. The EU provided €5,639,285.09 [approximately $6.1 million USD] under the funding agreement, with Vilnius City Municipality covering the remaining project costs. The total amount allocated has been recognised as eligible and all payments under the support agreement have been made.

 

Plant Must Meet Annual Production Target

The funding agreement has closed, but the project remains subject to five years of operating requirements. Hydrogen must be produced exclusively from renewable energy sources, comply with ISO 14687:2019, and reach a purity of at least 99.99%, suitable for transport use.

 

During the five-year continuity period, the plant must produce at least 1,425,000 cubic metres — 128,000 kg — of green hydrogen in at least one year. Operating at maximum, the facility could produce up to 285,000 kg per year.

 

A green hydrogen plant has been completed on the territory of Vilnius' second combined heat and power plant - testing of equipment and systems is currently underway. The first publicly accessible hydrogen filling station in the capital is being installed in the Viršuliškės public transport park (Justiniškės g. 14).

 

The plant was built as part of the project "Green Hydrogen Production for Public Transport in Vilnius City" - which is being implemented by "Gijos" together with the company's shareholder, Vilnius City Municipality. The project financing agreement was concluded with the Public Institution Central Project Management Agency.

 

A 3 MW green hydrogen production capacity has been installed, and the entire amount of European Union funding allocated to the project of EUR 5,639,285.09 has been recognized as eligible for financing and all payments provided for in the support agreement have been made. The total value of the project is approximately EUR 10 million, the remainder was allocated by Vilnius City Municipality.

 

"The city has developed infrastructure that did not exist in Vilnius or the region a few years ago - from clean energy production to its supply to public transport and beyond. The European Union investments attracted to Vilnius have also contributed significantly to this," says Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas.

 

Obligations that will have to be fulfilled

The financing agreement sets out specific requirements for further green hydrogen production activities. The hydrogen must be produced exclusively from renewable energy sources, comply with the ISO 14687:2019 standard, have a purity of at least 99,99%, and be ready for use in transport.

 

During the five-year continuity period, the plant will have to produce at least 1,425,000 m³ (128 thousand kg) of green hydrogen per year at least once. In comparison, a plant operating at maximum capacity can produce up to 285 thousand kg/year.

 

"The contract with the agency administering European Union funds has been closed, but our work is just beginning. Ahead are the tests of the green hydrogen filling station and the first kilograms of green hydrogen that will actually end up in the bus tanks. All obligations are measurable, so we will report on them publicly," says Gerimantas Bakanas, CEO of Gijai.

 

Sixteen Buses First

In the first phase, 16 public transport buses in the capital will run on green hydrogen, replacing diesel. This is estimated to cut around 1,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

 

The 3 MW production capacity would be sufficient for around 40 hydrogen-powered buses, leaving room to expand the green public transport fleet. The Viršuliškės filling point will be publicly available, serving not only city buses but also commercial transport and individual drivers.

 

Integration with the Cogeneration Site

The CHP-2 site was chosen because heat and power generation equipment is already operating there. Existing infrastructure allows more efficient use of the resources generated during electrolysis, including the use of waste heat from electrolysis for district heating, and the use of water unsuitable for electrolysis elsewhere in the cogeneration process. The project also describes a role in relation to the electricity transmission system, though the Lithuanian-language announcements do not specify the arrangement in detail.

 

Once the remaining equipment tests and the installation of the filling point are complete, green hydrogen production in Vilnius is planned to begin by the end of 2026.

 

No electrolyser supplier was named, and no hydrogen price or offtake terms for the bus operator were disclosed.

 

Source:  FCW Team