LAMEZIA TERME It will arise in Calabria the first Hydrogen Valley in the South. With the release of the single authorization for the realization of the project, the only one in the whole region, Lamezia Terme will thus find itself hosting the first of the 28 sites in southern Italy (for a total of 54 in the national territory) identified by the Government to be financed as part of the Pnrr for the development of the hydrogen supply chain in the South. Development and redemption. The ‘Hydrogen Valley Lamezia Terme’ project will in fact be built in the abandoned area of the former Sir, where lies an industrial dream that never took off. The project, proposed by Teca Gas Srl, was designed and engineered by Techfem, a company in the heart of the Marche but also operational in Calabriaa true vanguard of the sector, strong in international experiences and collaborations.
The Lamezia headquarters
Around 60 of the 320 ultra-specialised technicians of Techfem work in the Lamezia headquarters, which for years has started a close collaboration with the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Calabria which allowed young talents to train and find work in their own region rather than moving to northern Italy or abroad. The Lamezia plant will produce hydrogen (2MW), will have storage and compression areas (up to 220 barg), will be powered by a 461 kW photovoltaic park and will also have a loading bay available for filling cylinder trailers to transport hydrogen. Teca Gas, which already deals with LPG bottling, will expand its range of action: the ambitious objective of the project is to promote the local production and use of hydrogen in industry and transport, giving life to the hydrogen valley model, already developed in some European Union countries. «This initiative – explains Federico Ferrini, CEO of Techfem – represents a significant step towards the ecological transition and sustainable development of the region. I believe it is an important goal that sets the Calabria at the forefront in the development of renewable energy and in the promotion of sustainable and innovative energy solutions”. According to Pasquale Rocca, of Teca Gas: «This project undoubtedly marks an important phase for our territory and we can only be extremely proud to take part in this small but great revolution». The plant will be put into service by 30 June 2026 and constitutes one of the relevant projects of Techfem’s 2024-2026 Industrial Plan which provides for an increase in employment of a further 50 people in the Lamezia Terme headquarters alone. The project is financed under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), Mission 2 ‘Green revolution and ecological transition’, Component 2 ‘Renewable energy, hydrogen, network and sustainable mobility’, investment 3.1 ‘Production in disused industrial areas ‘. This investment is supported by the European Union – NEXT Generation EU, using the resources referred to in the Region’s executive decree Calabria n.73 of 01/05/2023.
