Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. announced that its subsidiary NextChem has been assigned a €194 million grant to develop a waste-to-hydrogen plant as part of the “IPCEI Hy2Use” EU project. The project sets up the Hydrogen Valley in Rome, the first industrial-scale technological hub for the development of the national supply chain for the production, transport, storage and use of hydrogen for the decarbonization of industrial processes and for sustainable mobility.
The grant will be disbursed during the construction phases of the plant. The next steps concern the start of the project activities and all the necessary permits in order to ensure the plant start-up in the first half of 2027, in compliance with the funding. In the initial phase, a production of 1,500 tons/year of hydrogen and 55,000 tons/year of ethanol is expected. The production of hydrogen will grow according to its demand, up to 20,000 tons per year, proportionally reducing the volumes of ethanol. Thanks to NextChem’s proprietary technology, developed by its subsidiary MyRechemical, the plant will use 200,000 tons/year of non-recyclable solid waste as raw material, thus also contributing to optimizing the waste treatment cycle in Rome through a conversion process significantly reducing total CO2 emissions.
The European project also includes a contribution of approximately €4 million for additional research and development activities in waste-to-hydrogen technology, leveraging scientific partners such as Enea, Fondazione Bruno Kessler and La Sapienza University of Rome.
The non-repayable IPCEI grant supports the activities carried out by the parties in[1]volved in the implementation of Important Projects of Common European Interest (IP[1]CEI). The Fund, supported by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development, will allow Maire Tecnimont Group’s industrial model to become a worldwide best practice for the valorization of waste and the production of hydrogen as well as other chemicals, while significantly reducing CO2 emissions.
Alessandro Bernini, CEO of Maire Tecnimont Group and of NextChem, commented, “This project, which is unique in the world, represents a milestone in the devel[1]opment of technologies combining circular economy and green chemistry. It enables us to act as pioneers in the decarbonization of hard-to-abate industries, with a model that can be replicated in other countries”.