Metacon AB's wholly owned Greek subsidiary, Metacon S.A. of Patras, has been awarded European Union project funding to develop and demonstrate hydrogen production from biomethane under the BIOH2VAP project. The effective amount covered by the grant is approximately €241,920, against a total project budget for Metacon S.A. of €302,400, of which that same €241,920 is covered by public funding.
Under the project, Metacon S.A. will validate the parent group's reforming technology in an industrial biogas setting and assess the commercial potential of converting locally produced biomethane into renewable hydrogen.
A pilot plant will be constructed at an existing industrial biogas plant in Ierapetra, Crete. Its scope covers biogas upgrading, biomethane production, and demonstration of reforming-based hydrogen generation. Operation and data collection under industrial conditions are intended to give the company the opportunity to evaluate and refine technical performance and operating efficiency, and to prepare for commercial deployment.
For Metacon, the project adds to the commercialization roadmap for its proprietary reforming technology and supports the development of hydrogen solutions based on renewable feedstocks. Metacon said the project also creates a platform for assessing how hydrogen production can be integrated with existing biogas infrastructure and local residue streams, with the aim of improving resource efficiency and strengthening the business case for circular hydrogen production.
"The BIOH2VAP project gives us a new industrial platform to demonstrate clean hydrogen production from biomethane and optimize its commercial potential," said Christer Wikner, president and CEO of Metacon. He added that the project expands the company's industrial testing base for its reforming technology and will support commercialization plans targeting future deployment at thousands of existing places internationally where biogas infrastructure and local renewables are already available.