MND joins consortium for the energy of the future: green hydrogen

MND is joining an international consortium intending to produce, transport, store, and distribute green hydrogen in Europe. The project, called H2EU+Store, brings together major energy companies from Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, and now also the Czech Republic. The consortium seeks to expand the use of green hydrogen, which is essential to Europe's carbon-neutral future.

The plan for this ambitious project involves producing hydrogen from renewable sources in countries such as Ukraine, transporting it through existing gas pipelines to Central Europe, then storing it and distributing it to customers.

An initial prerequisite is the creation of infrastructure in Ukraine for green energy production on the one hand, and for electrolysis (using electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen) on the other. In parallel, the consortium plans to create storage capacities in Central Europe to store green hydrogen. The project involves the use of underground reservoirs that can offer flexible services to balance energy demand on a daily and seasonal basis ‒ as is the case with natural gas.

"In recent years, MND has focused on growing renewable energy, which is why we support the development of green hydrogen. This project is a great opportunity for the future and MND wants to be part of it. Our group offers the consortium extensive experience in gas storage, as well as the potential of our green energy projects ‒ including those in Ukraine," said Jana Hamršmídová, Director of Energy at MND.

Ukraine is poised to become a significant producer of green hydrogen in the future. In addition to its huge potential in the field of renewable energy production, Ukraine has expressed the political will to export green energy.

“RAG welcomes MND to the H2EU+Store industry partnership, founded to accelerate the market ramp-up of green hydrogen in Central Europe. MND has a clear focus on renewable energy projects, such as geothermal drills and wind power. With our current activities in developing renewable energy projects in Ukraine, this combination is an ideal fit for the Upstream part of our Project,” said Markus Mitteregger, CEO of the consortium leader RAG Austria.

Experts consider green hydrogen to be the energy carrier of the future. It is a colorless gas produced with electrolyzers using renewable energy from the sun and wind. But unlike electricity, green hydrogen is storable, and thus serves as the better replacement for fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas, and coal.

About H2+Store

H2EU+Store is an international industry partnership created to accelerate the development of the green hydrogen market in Central Europe. Participating companies include RAG Austria, Eco-Optima, Bayerngas, bayernets, OGE, Gas Connect Austria, EUSTREAM, NAFTA, Gas TSO of Ukraine, Storage System Operator of Ukraine, and now MND. Its goal is to import green hydrogen to Austria and Germany from countries promising wholesale hydrogen production (such as Ukraine). For more information, please visit the project website: https://www.h2euplusstore.com/

About MND, a.s.

MND is part of the KKCG Group owned by the Czech entrepreneur, Karel Komárek. It focuses on various areas of energy – from oil and gas extraction to energy production from renewable resources, such as geothermal drills and wind power. In recent years, the company has focused on environmentally-friendly technologies. MND also supplies Czech households with gas and electricity. In addition to the Czech Republic, the company also operates in Ukraine, Germany, and Italy.