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PESA and PKN ORLEN with a comprehensive offer

PESA and PKN ORLEN with a comprehensive offer for railway carriers. Agreement on cooperation in the preparation of offers for the supply of rolling stock with the supply and refueling of hydrogen signed at the Innotrans fair in Berlin!

 

During the Innotrans 2022 International Railway Fair in Berlin, PKN ORLEN and PESA signed an Agreement under which the companies, within the consortium, will jointly prepare an offer for rail carriers, including the supply of rolling stock along with hydrogen supplies and solutions enabling refueling. At the Berlin fair, PESA and PKN ORLEN jointly presented a hydrogen shunting locomotive with a mobile refueling station.

 

In Poland, as in Europe, the implementation of hydrogen technologies in rail transport is definitely accelerating. From the point of view of railway operators, the solution to the issue of hydrogen supply and its refueling is of key importance for the introduction into service of rail vehicles powered by hydrogen cells.

 

“Today, no one is wondering whether hydrogen vehicles will enter the Polish tracks, because it is an inevitable process. In discussions with carriers, we are most often asked exactly how we will solve the issue of hydrogen refueling. That is why the agreement signed today is so important – it is a clear signal for the market – the vehicles produced by PESA have an assured supply of hydrogen. “ – emphasized Krzysztof Zdziarski, President of PESA.

 

The signed agreement provides for long-term cooperation between companies which, in line with their strategies, intend to develop hydrogen technologies in their areas. Co-ordinated and long-term cooperation will enable the preparation of offers for passenger and freight carriers and intermodal operators who intend to invest in emission free hydrogen rolling stock. It is crucial for these potential customers to have access to hydrogen as fuel. This applies to the refueling stations themselves, the appropriate hydrogen purity class, as well as the logistics of its transport from hubs to refueling stations.

“We are investing in renewable energy sources, including hydrogen, because it is the future of the ORLEN Group. We are effectively implementing a hydrogen strategy that supports our business goals and our pursuit of carbon neutrality. By 2030, we intend to allocate approximately PLN 7.5 billion for investments, as a result of which nearly half of the hydrogen we produce will be low- and zero-emission. Cooperation with PESA Bydgoszcz is another important step in the commercialization of this technology. We see great potential for hydrogenation in rail transport. By making full use of it, we will realistically contribute to the transformation of Polish railways using the latest technologies. This will directly increase the security and energy independence of Poland.”- said Daniel Obajtek, President of the Management Board of PKN ORLEN.

 

PESA is the first Polish rolling stock manufacturer to start working on the use of hydrogen fuel cell drives in rail vehicles. For almost three years, the company has been implementing the project of a shunting locomotive powered by hydrogen fuel.

 

“The locomotive, which we are currently presenting at Innotrans, has already been put into service and the first test drives have been completed. After the fair, it will undergo the last homologation tests at the track in Żmigród, and in the first quarter of next year it will be put into operation at the PKN ORLEN Production Plant in Płock. At the same time, we are continuing to work on zero-emission passenger vehicles that can be powered by traction and hydrogen cells. Emission-free rail vehicles are one of the elements of the “Green Pesa” program implemented as part of the 2026+ strategy. Green Pesa means not only ecological vehicles, but also changes in the company itself, aimed at the maximum reduction of the carbon footprint in the production process and the functioning of the company,” – adds Krzysztof Zdziarski, President of PESA.

 

– “The cooperation between PESA and PKN Orlen and the agreement just signed is an important signal for the entire rail market. Thanks to the cooperation between the two Polish companies, passenger and freight carriers can invest in emission-free, hydrogen-powered rolling stock, and can order vehicles together with hydrogen supply services and provision of refueling infrastructure,” – Andrzej Bittel, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Infrastructure, said at the ceremony.

 

The energy crisis and the geopolitical situation accelerated the processes of change in the area of energy in Europe. The implementation of hydrogen technologies has definitely gained momentum. In the coming years, we can also expect tenders for the supply of hydrogen passenger vehicles and shunting locomotives in Poland. The implementation of these purchases and the introduction of vehicles into service requires the creation of an appropriate refueling infrastructure and ensuring the supply of hydrogen fuel. The answer to this challenge is to be the cooperation of PKN ORLEN and PESA, which want to jointly prepare offers for carriers interested in the purchase of emission-free, hydrogen rail vehicles.