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January 2023

Hydrogen Production in Romania by FRD Center

Hydrogen Production in Romania

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What is Romania’s potential for hydrogen production? Who are the main players that produce hydrogen in Romania? How to reach their Decision Makers? Go to this link for more details: https://market-entry-romania.blogspot.com/2023/01/hydrogen-production-in-romania-frd.html

The FRD Center has been briefly researching this sector and has generated a “demo” report available for free download at the link https://www.frdcenter.ro/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Hydrogen-production-in-Romania-FRD-Center-demo-report.pdf

How to reach the Decision Makers in the industrial sector in Romania and Emerging Europe? Are you looking to initiate a strategic collaboration or to acquire a local player and expand to Eastern Europe? Email us at europa@frdcenter.ro

Perhaps the FRD Center team can add value to your efforts with strategic business introductions in the Romanian industrial manufacturing, engineering, energy, building-assembly, metal constructions, steel works etc.

Email us at europa@frdcenter.ro and consult the link https://market-entry-romania.blogspot.com/2022/10/strategic-business-introductions-in.html

Topics in this FRD Center analysis are:

1. Why Romania?

2. Development plans

3. Players

4. Institutions

5. Legislation

6. Foreign collaboration

7. Events and communication

8. Investors and investments

According to players in the energy investment area and to sectors experts, Romania’s most important key advantage point for hydrogen production is the renewable energy production capacity.

Why would you choose to relocate or to expand your business to Romania? Are you looking to expand to Romania and the region and buy a relevant local player? Perhaps the FRD Center can be of assistance to you.
For details about the Opportunities for Market Expansion, Trade and Investment in Romania in 2022 consult the link https://www.frdcenter.ro/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/MARKET-EXPANSION-TRADE-INVESTMENT-OPPS-IN-ROMANIA-2022-FRD-Center.pdf 

It is considered that, once this cheap, competitive hydrogen from renewable energy has been produced, Romania can benefit from its huge gas transmission and distribution network. This is also an extremely powerful card for Romania, not only at the regional level, but at the European level.

Furthermore, in Romania there are all the hydrogen consumption applications where this energy can be capitalised. Romania has refineries where it can be exploited, also used in the production of steel, in the chemical industry, especially in the production of ammonia and fertilizers. Hydrogen can be used in the transport industry, especially heavy transport, in maritime transport, civil aviation.

Beyond the European funding, the legislation will bring money – investments of hundreds of billions of euros – from multiple sources, including banking, investment funds etc. to the hydrogen area.

For more details consult the FRD Center “demo” report HYDROGEN PRODUCTION IN ROMANIA available for free download at the link https://www.frdcenter.ro/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Hydrogen-production-in-Romania-FRD-Center-demo-report.pdf

In October 2022, The Romanian Ministry of Energy has started the process of developing the “National Hydrogen Strategy and Action Plan”, part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR)

Relevant decision makers consider that the initiation of the process of developing the “National Strategy for Hydrogen”, part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), is an important step for the creation of a functional hydrogen market in Romania and for the development of investments in this field.

Hydrogen production in Romania is a topic of great interest in the current context of decarbonisation of heavy industry or road freight transport.

As part of the reform no. 4 of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Romania has to develop by the end of March 2023 a national hydrogen strategy and a strategic action plan with policies to guide, coordinate and mobilise public and private investments in the production, storage, transport and use of hydrogen.

Romania envisages an important role for the renewable (green) hydrogen in its future energy system. According to the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan 2021 – 2030, Romania could opt for the use of hydrogen in industrial processes, considering that the replacement of the natural gas with hydrogen from renewable sources would result in significant decarbonisation and it is in line with the RepowerEU plan to reduce the use of fossil fuels from Russia.

For more details consult the FRD Center “demo” report HYDROGEN PRODUCTION IN ROMANIA available for free download at the link https://www.frdcenter.ro/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Hydrogen-production-in-Romania-FRD-Center-demo-report.pdf

In June 2022, the Romanian Ministry of Energy approved a State aid scheme with the total budget of almost 150 mEUR through the NRRP to support investments in the construction of capacities for the production of renewable hydrogen via electrolysis. The scheme applies until 31 December 2023 and the maximum aid to be granted may not exceed 50 mEUR per investment project, per undertaking.

The scheme is open to micro, small, medium-sized or large enterprises active in the production of hydrogen or electricity, to administrative-territorial units, R&D national institutes in the field of energy, including associations or partnerships formed by those players.

According to the Vice President for Business Development of OMV Petrom, Romania could become a European hub of blue hydrogen as the country has gas resources, carbon storage capacities and a varied industry that can use this resource.

How to access the Decision Makers in the companies you are targeting for a strategic partnership in Romania? Are you looking to buy a company in Emerging Europe? Do you know if its Owner wants to sell? How can you get to speak to her / him?

Perhaps the FRD Center team can add value to your efforts with strategic business introductions in the Romanian and East European energy, industrial manufacturing, IT&C, building-assembly, engineering, chemicals, agriculture, BPO and outsourcing, metal constructions, steel works etc.

Email us at europa@frdcenter.ro and consult this link for more details: https://market-entry-romania.blogspot.com/2022/10/opportunity-alert-facilitation-of.html

ICSI – the National Research and Development Institute for Cryogenic and Isotopic Technologies – https://www.icsi.ro/ – operates under the coordination of the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitalization. It includes a department – ICSI Energy – focused to develop, implement and disseminate hydrogen-based technologies in order to achieve a “hydrogen economy” in Romania.

The Intelligent Energy Association – https://asociatiaenergiainteligenta.ro/ – brings together professionals from the hydrogen, natural gas, electricity and energy efficiency fields in Romania. In October 2022, it participated at a meeting with the Ministry of Energy to prepare the national hydrogen strategy.

Part of the KMG International Group, Rompetrol Rafinare SA – https://rompetrol-rafinare.kmginternational.com/ – owns the Petromidia and Vega refineries. The Petromidia refinery has a hydrogen cracking plant. Rompetrol Rafinare targets a production of almost 4 million tonnes of fuels in 2022, out of over 5 million tonnes of raw materials targeted for processing. The firm recorded a net turnover of around 2.5 bn EUR in 2021.

Controlled by a Romanian businessman, Chimcomplex SA – https://chimcomplex.com/ – operates two industrial platforms, after buying a large part of the assets of the former chemical complex Oltchim. With an experience of over 60 years, Chimcomplex produces hydrogen from water through the electrolysis of brine and brings the hydrogen vector into chemistry together with the CO2 capture.
Hoeganaes Corporation Europe SA, part of GKN Group – https://www.gknpm.com/ – produces engineered metal powders in its facility in Buzau, SE Romania. It has hydrogen production units using the cracking technology. The company registered a net turnover of 72 mEUR in 2021.
Controlled by the Turkish Group OYAK Mining Metallurgy, Erdemir Romania SRL – http://www.erdemir.ro/ – is specialised in the silicon flat steel manufacturing. It has a hydrogen production unit that uses the cracking technology. In 2021 the firm reached a net turnover of 46 mEUR.

For more details about players involved in hydrogen production in Romania, consult the FRD Center  “demo” report available for free download at the link https://www.frdcenter.ro/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Hydrogen-production-in-Romania-FRD-Center-demo-report.pdf

Thirty-two (32) projects were submitted in 2022 in the financing call of the Ministry of Energy through the NRRP to support investments in the construction of capacities for the production of renewable hydrogen via electrolysis but only 11 projects were accepted following the stage of administrative and eligibility verification. Beside Chimcomplex SA and OMV Petrom SA profiled above, other accepted companies are briefly presented below.
Monsson Alma SRL-https://www.monsson.eu– submitted the project “Construction of new production capacity of renewable hydrogen through electrolysis in N. Balcescu, Constanta”. Owned by a Swedish entrepreneur, Monsson Alma is one of the biggest developers of green projects in Romania.
Inspet SA – https://www.inspet.ro/ – submitted for financing the project “Establishment of a hydrogen production capacity”. The company is specialised in the construction and maintenance of the oil and gas equipment. Some of its main clients are Romgaz, Transgaz, engie etc. Inspet reached a net turnover of 65.6 mEUR in 2021.
The National Energy Regulatory Authority – https://www.anre.ro/ – issues licenses for the commercial exploitation of the hydrogen production facilities and authorisations related to the design, execution and exploitation of these facilities. It authorised the Development Plan of the National Transport System of Natural Gases for 2022 – 2023 and requested the national operator Transgaz to carry out studies and pilot projects to establish the conditions for the gas-hydrogen transition, in accordance with the EU strategy.
The Romanian legislation regarding the hydrogen production began to take shape in 2020, when the Law on Electrical Energy and Natural Gases no. 123/2012 was amended by several legislative acts.
Currently the Romanian legislation has certain legislative and administrative barriers regarding the activities of the hydrogen production, storage and transport.
The reform no. 4 of the NRRP targets to develop a favourable legislative and regulatory framework for future technologies, in particular hydrogen and storage solutions and to remove the administrative obstacles to develop renewable hydrogen.
The National Strategy for Research, Innovation and Smart Specialization 2022 – 2027 approved by the Romanian Government in July 2022 targets:
– the development of efficient technologies for the production of hydrogen from abundant, renewable sources
– the decarbonisation of the transport sector through the use of electrification and other energy vectors with low carbon footprint (hydrogen, fuels from renewable sources etc)
For more details consult the FRD Center “demo” report HYDROGEN PRODUCTION IN ROMANIA available for free download at the link https://www.frdcenter.ro/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Hydrogen-production-in-Romania-FRD-Center-demo-report.pdf
Romanian players involved in the production of green hydrogen are actively searching for international partners in order to develop joint projects, apply for international funding and gain expertise as well as new markets.
Controlled by the Romanian State, Hidroelectrica – https://www.hidroelectrica.ro/ – is the largest electricity producer in Romania. In collaboration with the Austrian company Verbund – https://www.verbund.com/ – Hidroelectrica intends to construct a renewable hydrogen facility through water electrolysis on the Olt river, with the estimated capacity of 15,000 tonnes per year.
The Hungarian company Astrasun Solar – https://astrasun.solar/ – is in discussions with a university in Romania to create a research project in the hydrogen field. The Managing Director of Astrasun Solar declared that various Hungarian companies could relocate to Romania to develop renewable projects.
FRD Center identified a series of Investment Funds and Private Investors that focus on hydrogen-related production capacities, transport infrastructure, distribution networks and storage facilities. Some of them are also targeting Romanian projects, considering that Romania has an excellent potential for developing such capacities in short and medium term.
Hy24 – https://www.hy24partners.com/ – is the first and largest specialized hydrogen investment fund operated under the FiveT Hydrogen platform together with Ardian. Their HQ is in Paris, France. Hy24 is an infrastructure fund with a value of 2 bnEUR, which aims to invest only in projects that are 100% in compliance with the European taxonomy, in projects with sustainable financing. They invest in the entire value chain, in production infrastructure, in midstream, i.e. storage and distribution, and in downstream – i.e. recharging stations, fleets of trucks, buses, taxis, focused on hydrogen.
For more details about investors involved in hydrogen production, consult the FRD Center  “demo” report available for free download at the link https://www.frdcenter.ro/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Hydrogen-production-in-Romania-FRD-Center-demo-report.pdf
How to obtain tailor-made market research and sector analysis in Romania and the region? Contact the FRD Center team at email europa@frdcenter.ro or by phone at +4021 411 1459 and +4021 411 1460.
For more than 22 years, the FRD Center has been hired by foreign companies, investors, governmental agencies, private equity funds and export promotion organisations to generate, upon demand, tailored sector studies, market analyses and sector reports useful for market expansion strategies design and implementation.
These market researches are carried out in Romania as well as in the other markets in the region, such as: Poland, Ukraine, Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, Latvia, Slovenia and others in Emerging Europe.

For more details about the FRD Center market research and sector analysis services in Romania and Emerging Europe consult the link https://market-entry-romania.blogspot.com/2022/12/how-to-obtain-tailor-made-market.html and contact us by email at europa@frdcenter.ro