June 3, 2024 – Hungary’s first green hydrogen plant was handed over in a ceremonial setting at the Bükkábrányi Energy Park. The facility, which has started its official trial operation, produces hydrogen with renewable energy produced by the local solar park, thereby not only serving the fight against climate change, but also taking a significant step towards the country’s energy independence.
The Bükkábrányi Energy Park, which is one of the largest solar parks in Hungary, is capable of a peak output of more than 22 MWp with the help of 65,000 polycrystalline solar cells. The park, located on an area of 32 hectares, has been revived with the recultivation of the former open-pit lignite mine of the Mátra Power Plant and actively contributes to the spread of sustainable energy sources.
The new green hydrogen plant converts the electricity produced by the solar park into hydrogen with the help of a complex electrolysis system. The start-up of the plant was preceded by a successful testing phase, based on the results of which the trial operation can now begin. The significance of the event is enhanced by the fact that it is the first development of this type in Hungary and is closely aligned with the country’s national hydrogen strategy announced in 2021. “Even in times of war, the government sticks to its policy, supports the development of the economy, job creation and families. In line with this, we pursue an energy policy that supports the interests of the Hungarian people and domestic businesses, and creates the conditions for further development. The green hydrogen development in Bükkábrány coincides with the government’s energy policy intentions to create facilities to balance and regulate the production of the record-growing capacity of renewable energy sources,” said Energy Minister Csaba Lantos at the handover.
The owners and representatives of the project, i.e. the private equity fund STATUS Energy, which is a member of the Mészáros Group, and MS Energy Holding Zrt., which is a subsidiary of Opus Global Nyrt., took part in the ceremony. Lőrinc Mészáros, the owner of the Mészáros Group, highlighted at the event, “in the current economic environment, meeting energy needs is an ever-increasing challenge, so it is essential to turn to alternative, sustainable energy sources. In addition to the green hydrogen project, further high-tech experimental developments are taking place within the group in the field of energy production, storage and efficient, environmentally friendly use. All this helps us to increase our competitiveness and keep our interests on a sustainable growth path.”
András Tállai, the region’s parliamentary representative, said in his speech, “the settlements of the Mezőkövesd district are still bearing the hardships of Borsod’s industrial heritage. However, the intention to innovate can be implemented in every village, new opportunities open up by creatively utilizing local features. An excellent example of this is the Bükkábrány barren wasteland brought to new life by recultivation, and the energetic developments that will be established here.”
Szabolcs Szalai, the mayor of Bükkábrány, emphasized at the handover, “the mining areas removed from mining activity in Bükkábrány are being recycled, which is a huge opportunity for our settlement to participate in renewable energy production. We want to maintain our significant role in Hungary’s energy supply in the long term, to provide space for innovations, and the current development is an excellent starting point for this.”
With the establishment of the green hydrogen plant, the Bükkábrányi Energy Park and the University of Szeged are implementing industrial-scale testing of the “power2gas” technology within the framework of a joint pilot project. The goal of the development, which is being implemented with EU support, among other things, is the efficient use of excess energy produced by the solar park for the production of hydrogen, which can later be used for various industrial and transport purposes.
During the production process, the electrolyser uses the electricity produced by the solar park to break down water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen produced in this way is stored in bottles after increasing the pressure, while the oxygen is released into the atmosphere. The high quality of the green hydrogen produced allows it to be used for medicinal and scientific purposes, but it can also be used in fuel cells and mixed with natural gas in energy production. Imre Bakos, the project manager of the Bükkábrányi Energy Park, said: “the joint consortium project is unique not only because of the production process used, but also because the scaled-down model of the 1 megawatt electrolyser in Bükkábrányi will be placed in the Szeged Science Park, where the algorithms that can be modeled and developed hydrogen production is regulated depending on the strength of the sun, the availability of electricity and network demands.”
The goal of Hungary’s National Hydrogen Strategy is to encourage the development of the hydrogen economy and to strengthen the role of our country within the European hydrogen industry. In the long term, the strategy focuses on “green” hydrogen produced from renewable sources, but also takes into account hydrogen production possibilities based on nuclear and other carbon-free electricity.
The opening of the green hydrogen plant of the Bükkábrányi Energy Park is a milestone in the implementation of Hungary’s hydrogen strategy and a significant step towards achieving the decarbonization goals. The new plant not only strengthens the country’s energy independence, but can also contribute to the greening of public transport and many industrial uses.
