The inauguration ceremony of the HySPARK - Hydrogen Solutions for euroPean Airports & Regional Kinetics project took place on January 15, 2025 at the headquarters of the Warsaw Gasworks Museum. The project, with a total budget of €11.674 million, has received nearly €9 million in funding from the European Commission's Clean Hydrogen Partnership program. It is the first project in Poland dedicated to hydrogen valleys, implemented under a public-private partnership such as CHP. HySPARK is an initiative of an international consortium that includes 15 entities, including the Institute of Energy - National Research Institute (IPE-NRI), which serves as the project coordinator.
HySPARK aims to develop innovative solutions in the area of hydrogen technology in central Poland. The main element of the project will be the construction of a full hydrogen value chain, including the production and operation of modern hydrogen vehicles supplied by Orlen S.A.. A hydrogen refueling station will be built near Warsaw Chopin Airport, the construction of which will receive funding from the CEF AFIF. Hydrogen buses will be provided by ARTHUR BUS, hydrogen tractors will be supplied by Quantron, while ground handling trucks will be provided by the Italian company ATENA.
At the project's kick-off meeting, key representatives of the partners involved spoke. Among the speakers were:
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Marcin Wasilewski, board member for technology at Orlen S.A.
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Grzegorz Jóźwiak, director of the hydrogen technology and synthetic fuels office at Orlen S.A.
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Jakub Kupecki, Director of the Center for Hydrogen Technologies (CTH2) of IPE-NRI, project coordinator
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Grzegorz Pawelec, Director, Regulatory & Market Intelligence in Hydrogen Europe
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Leszek Drogosz, Director of the Office of Infrastructure of the City of Warsaw.
The ceremonial inauguration of the project was accompanied by a workshop to establish an action plan for the coming year, as well as to exchange experiences and best practices in the field of hydrogen technologies. The workshop covered the key elements of the project's implementation: the development of hydrogen buses, the hydrogenization of F. Chopin Airport vehicles at Warsaw's Okęcie Airport, the development of a digital twin of the entire system, including the cooperation of airport infrastructure with urban transport and ORLEN hubs that will supply hydrogen.
The HySPARK project operationalizes the Polish Hydrogen Strategy and aims not only to develop innovative technologies, but also to increase regional cooperation and implement solutions for a cleaner transportation future. Replication of the project's effects is planned in Italy and Ireland. The undertaking will be implemented between 2025 and 2029.
