About Us - Partners
Province of Mantova
Province of Mantova (Coordinator) is an administrative body of intermediate level between a municipality (comune) and the Lombardy Region. The main functions devolved to the Province include local planning and zoning (including energy matters and transport’s themes), fire services, secondary school, and maintenance of local roads. Recent activities have been focusing on the rehabilitation of former industrial areas and on the development of a logistic area which include a naval port connected to the Adriatic Sea and a railway terminal connected to the main North-South European backbone, both serving food, oil, chemical and heavy industries. The province has a longstanding experience coordinating and participating to European and National projects with a dedicated office. Within their public responsibility on energy management, the Province of Mantova is an active player of the Mantova Hydrogen Valley project keeping relationships with other public institutions such as Lombardy Region and the Municipality of Mantova, as well as acting on energy themes through AGIRE and being involved in public transport with APAM. The Province of Mantova is facilitating links with all other stakeholders, like the local education actors (Politecnico di Milano and Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia). Moreover, they have facilitated the discussion with relevant private actors directly involved in activities linked with green hydrogen, such as renewable energy producers, like RenHive, and which are currently planning to supply renewable energy to the hydrogen plant. Province of Mantova will act as the coordinator, supported by AGIRE.
A.G.I.R.E. Srl
AGIRE (Energy Agency of the Province of Mantova) is a company 100% owned by the Province of Mantova. AGIRE aims to stimulate the utilization of renewable energy sources and to promote energy savings on the local territory, focusing on Local Authorities, SMEs, Farms and Households. Agire represents a guide towards the reduction of climate-altering gas emissions, the promotion of sustainable transport, and raising of public awareness of sustainable economic development. Highly experienced in EU co-financed projects, AGIRE is the executive Agency of Province of Mantova for the realization of the environmental and energy aims on the local territory. AGIRE will support the coordinator and will be also responsible for managing the H2 ecosystem forum, the project dissemination and communication. Agire will also work on the Social Impact Analysis.
SAPIO
SAPIO (SAPIO Produzione Idrogeno Ossigeno Srl) is one of the largest Italian producers of hydrogen, has its production facility in Mantova and remotely controls the hydrogen production of other plants across Italy. SAPIO performs 3000+ H2 deliveries/year by truck all over Italy, operates 15+ km of H2 pipelines and manages H2 production plants for specific industries. SAPIO is active on the national territory with many initiatives, concerning: import of green ammonia for the H2 sector; development of hydrogen valleys in different locations in Italy (Mantova, Marghera, Tuscany and Sicily), with hydrogen production plants powered by local renewable energy; implementation of hydrogen distribution systems with hydrogen pipelines to local hard-to-abate industries and mobility applications, and with high pressure tube trailers (equal or above 500 barg) to innovative hydrogen refuelling stations. In Mantova they currently produce about 1.000 t/year of blue hydrogen (from steam methane reforming with a carbon capture system) and will be sided by a new modular PEM electrolyser for a total of 10 MW (5+5 MW), aiming at producing ca. 1.500 t/year of green hydrogen. SAPIO will be mostly engaged with tasks related to production, storage and distribution of hydrogen, including pipelines and Hydrogen Refuelling Stations (HRS). They’ll also focus on new ways of distributing hydrogen with containerised transportable high-pressure storage solutions applicable for several end-uses (buildings, off-grid applications, ships, trucks and trains). They’ll also study the realisation of the HRSs for the tri-modal system at Valdaro Port.
RENHIVE
RENHIVE (RenHive Srl) is a company belonging to the Renovo Bioeconomy group acting as an aggregator of skills and technological, industrial and financial resources in service of a model of sustainable development based on integration of local generation of sustainable energy and innovative production initiatives. RenHive focuses on photo-voltaic and agri-voltaic fields design and implementation, acting as a green electricity producer. RenHive will invest in the realisation of a 13 MW plant, which will provide stabilised 10MW green energy for daytime hydrogen production through a 1MW accumulator.
Wolftank Group
WOLFTANK (Wolftank Adisa GmbH) belongs to the Wolftank-Adisa Group, a member of the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance of the European Union. Wolftank are a leading technology partner in the field of energy solutions and environmental protection, amongst which a specialisation in hydrogen solutions for distribution. Wolftank will provide a mobile HRS with the purpose of testing the feasibility of a fixed station, while analysing permits and authorisation requirements in the area of the naval port. They’ll participate to the preparation of a techno-economic feasibility aimed at applying for funding in the NextGenEU.
VeNa
VENA (Veneziana di Navigazione e Rimorchio Srl) are shipowners which operate in the port of Venice to provide several naval services. Amongst others, they operate a fleet of tug/pushers and barges which can navigate between Venice and Mantova along the artificial channel. In the context of this project, they’ll work with Future Proof Shipping to refit the tug/pusher Tanzania II from diesel to hydrogen providing shipyard services, study the possibility to add green bow and stern-thrusters helping the manoeuvrability of barges, and working with the business models team to analyse the technoeconomic sustainability.
Future Proof Shipping
FPS (Future Proof Shipping BV) are a team developing realistic and practical sustainable shipping solutions. Their aim is to have ten zero-emissions ship projects kickstarted within the next five years and are currently in the process of retrofitting an inland container vessel fuelled 100% by green hydrogen in the Netherlands. FPS will provide technical and project development advice to enable VE.NA. to make the transition to zero-emissions shipping of the pusher Tanzania II; that will include retrofit design and engineering services.
IPE Locomotori 2000
IPE (IPE Locomotori 2000 Srl) studies and designs locomotives to meet a wide range of requirements. Two Mechanical Workshops deal with major metal carpentry work and the dismantling, assembly and maintenance of rail vehicles. their qualified personnel offer maintenance and control assistance to all types of rail vehicles. They sell two IPE-branded locomotives for cargo handling. In the context of this project IPE will design a new locomotion platform that can host several engines including hydrogen-based ones to be used in freight handling, e.g where it is not possible to use electricity.
STRESS Scarl
STRESS (Sviluppo Tecnologie e Ricerca per l’Edilizia Sismicamente Sicura ed ecoSostenibile) is a no-profit consortium and technological district with the objective of promoting innovation as a qualifying element of a complex supply chain such as that of constructions. They have been designated by the Italian Ministry of University Innovation and Research as the implementing party of the High Technology District on Sustainable Construction and is now among the most accredited references in the construction innovation sector in Southern Italy. They worked with the University of Sannio (affiliated in this project) to build a nearly Zero Energy Building of 71 sqm suing hydrogen as the energy vector and with the University of Molise (affiliated in this project). STRESS will work in this project together with the Province of Mantova, to identify a public building (possibly a school) with the purpose to start using hydrogen as a substitutive energy. They’ll also help identifying technology and supplier applicable in the local context.
Università del Sannio
UNISANNIO (Università del Sannio) – Affiliated Party – offers specialised training courses with three main departments. UNISANNIO will be an affiliated party to STRESS. They’ll bring their know how on the H-ZEB (Hydrogen Zero Emission Building) design through their Engineering department.
Università del Molise
UNIMOL (Università del Molise) – Affiliated Party – offers a broad range of education paths and shares a inter-university on Civil Engineering with UNISANNIO. They’ll bring their know how on the H-ZEB (Hydrogen Zero Emission Building) design through their Civil Engineering department.
Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia
UNIMORE (Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia) is an historical university which have their main offices in Modena and Reggio Emilia, and a branch in Mantova. In March 2022, UNIMORE established the new “Interdepartmental Centre for Research and Services in the field of Hydrogen Production, Storage and Utilisation” (H2-MO.RE). The Centre promotes and coordinates interdisciplinary studies and research in the field of hydrogen production, storage, transport and utilisation. Within the coordination of H2-MO.RE, several departments will be involved: the Department of Economics which will work on techno-economic analysis along the H2 value-chain and with FBK on simulations; the Department of Science and Methods for Engineering which owns a specialised tool for Lifecycle Analysis and working on Environmental Impact Analysis together with the CNR IIA; the Department of Engineering which will work on the planning of research and didactic activities and for preparing MSCA proposal for funds; and the Department of Physics Informatics and Mathematics developing the Digital Twin model and didactic activities. They’ll all be working on planning the new Applied R&I Hydrogen Hub with FBK to define a sustainable business plan and educational programme for the Hub.
Fondazione Bruno Kessler
FBK (Fondazione Bruno Kessler) is the top Research Institute in Italy, ranked at the 1st place for scientific excellence within 3 different subject areas and for the economic and social impact according to the latest quality of research ANVUR evaluation. Through 11 centres dedicated to technology and innovation and to the humanities and social sciences, FBK aims to achieve excellent results in the scientific and technological field with regard to interdisciplinary approaches and the application dimension. The main department working on this project will be the Centre for Sustainable Energy (SE) with a team involved in research and development of fully integrated solutions for hydrogen generation from renewable sources, safe hydrogen storage and efficient utilization by end users. In this project, FBK will mainly work on Models/Scenarios, especially on understanding possible ways of levelling the cost of hydrogen, understanding the market barriers, and providing knowledge on security and authorizations. They’ll also be working on planning the new Applied R&I Hydrogen Hub with UNIMORE to define a sustainable business plan for the Hub.
Politecnico di Milano
Politecnico di Milano is a public scientific-technological University that educates engineers, architects, and industrial designers. Research runs parallel to cooperation and alliances with the industrial system. Politecnico di Milano is an active participant in the European and global network of leading technical Universities, offering a wide range of degree programs taught entirely in English. In this project, the School of Architecture, Urban Planning, and Construction Engineering at the Mantova Campus, in collaboration with the UNESCO Research Lab, will be involved in creating the design plan for the new “Applied R&I Hydrogen Hub”. This initiative aims to rehabilitate an otherwise abandoned area near the hydrogen production plant.
CNR - Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
CNR IIA (Consiglio Nazionale per le Ricerche – Istituto di Inquinamento Atmosferico) The National Research Council (CNR) is the largest public research institution in Italy under the Italian Ministry of University and Research. The institute (IIA) acts towards the ecological transition by integrating skills and knowledge, monitoring, and studying air quality to guarantee people's health and direct sustainable industrial policies and practices. CNR IIA will work together with UNIMORE to conduct the Lifecycle Assessment within the Environmental Impact Analysis task.
EFIP
EFIP (European Federation of Inland Ports) is acting as the unique voice of inland ports in Europe. It highlights and promotes the role of inland ports as nodal points for intermodal transport, combining road, rail, maritime and inland waterway transport. They actively follow all developments in the field of EU transport and environmental policy of importance to inland ports and their environment and represents the inland ports to the European institutions. EFIP presents common positions on European policy issues
of importance for inland ports and their economic and business environment. EFIP will participate in this project for activities linked to the H2 Ecosystem, being hydrogen-based naval transport part of the HYMANTOVALLEY project.