MANTOVA – The kickoff meeting of the Hymantovalley project opened today in the main hall of the Campiani Conservatory in Mantua: 16 partners from 4 countries (Italy, Austria, Netherlands and Belgium) are meeting for the first time, and for three days they will discuss the plan development process.
HYMANTOVALLEY is a 9 million euro project, 70% co-financed by European funds, which is part of the broader development program of a Hydrogen Valley in the province of Mantua, based on the river port of Valdaro, the related logistics platform and a functional three-modal transport system (inland water, rail, road) that takes advantage of the strategic location of the site. The total value of the planned investments, some of which are already underway, is around 75 million euros (the projection reaches around a hundred), financed in part by the EU through various programmes, including the Interregional Innovation Investments Instrument ( I3).
The work began with the public part of the meeting, opened this morning by Nicola Sodano, sole director of Agire (Energy Agency of the Province of Mantua), an in-house company of the Province which coordinates the first of a series of six operational meetings and the whole Hymantovalley project. Sodano underlined how the new leaders of Agire are reaping the fruits of work that comes from afar, highlighting the scope, social and economic value of the project. He underlines the great potential for the territories that must be attractive in order to face the challenges of the future. Representing the province, the head of cabinet Venturi launched a couple of great suggestions: the recovery of the historic Mantua-Peschiera railway, where a 100% hydrogen traction train can travel, and Valdaro as a hub for technological development, starting from the school. Also for the Province, the manager of the urban planning and port area Alessandro Gatti recalled the institution’s commitment to starting this project, developed with the criterion of sustainable consumption. The public part concluded with speeches by Erik Kock for I3/Eismea (EU Commission) and by Luigi Crema (one of the leading European experts on hydrogen) for the Bruno Kessler Foundation. The meeting continued behind closed doors. The next event open to the press and professionals will be at the end of the meeting, with the press conference on Wednesday 4 October which will report on the outcomes of the meeting.
source: La Nuova Mantova
