VODÍK

understand the subject matter, but there

is no system. And education regarding

new technologies such as hydrogen

should start from a very early age.

Children are good at asking seemingly

trivial questions that are very difficult

to answer in a comprehensible way. No

generation can drop out of this - we have

to educate at all levels and stages.

Minister Síkela suggested that

the only way for us to get hydrogen

is from nuclear power. What do you

think about that?

Yes, it makes sense, it fits in with our

energy concept. ČEZ, as the operator of

nuclear power plants, is already linking

them with hydrogen. The MoravianSilesian region is trying to establish

nuclear power through smaller modular

reactors, which seems to be optimal.

We can now consider those retiring

standard coal-fired sources as sites that

can support future nuclear sources

combined with hydrogen production.

We generate electricity, we move away

from coal, we use the existing connection

to the district heating network and we

can use the excess capacity to produce

hydrogen. The synergy effect can be

significant here.

“

Today, the biggest

carbon emitter is transport,

and this needs to be

addressed urgently.

”

Is this realistic in terms of European

legislation?

Unfortunately, there were already a large

number of different directives, standards

and regulations before applications

of hydrogen technologies were even

created. That is not an optimal approach.

For example, European regulations

prohibit us from calling hydrogen that

comes from the nuclear power emissionfree hydrogen. Our thinking and quick

implementation of hydrogen technologies

is limited by terms such as green hydrogen,

or emission-free hydrogen. We are not

allowed to use hydrogen from nuclear

power or even from electricity generated

through biomass, for example, in public

transport. However, it may be used in

industry. In our region, this is important

for steel production, because without

the use of green sources or hydrogen, we

simply will not be able to sell our steel to

the West. Today, our chemical industry

uses hydrogen produced from natural

gas, but even that will have to be replaced

20 ǀ POSITIV HYDROGEN

by green hydrogen. We have to get used

to the fact that new demands involving

green energy or hydrogen will be placed

on industrial production. So either we

have to be able to produce it or we have

to import it.

We could complain that there is no

place to refuel hydrogen because we

are only starting with the infrastructure.

However, at the end of March 2023,

the first hydrogen refuelling station

for passenger cars in the Czech

Republic was opened in the area of

Dolní Vítkovice. What are the prospects

for the future?

We are glad that the first refuelling

station is here in Ostrava, thanks to

the initiative of Mr. Světlík, who did

not wait and promptly implemented

it. Further plans include improving

the hydrogen strategy of the MoravianSilesian

region

and

establishing

network solutions of applied hydrogen

technologies in the MS region, which

will direct the initiation phase so

that we can get to a state in primary

mobility, where we will be able to

handle the expected level of traffic

in the foreseeable future. Hydrogen

will primarily be used in the public

transport segment. The other refuelling

stations that are planned will be catered

to accommodate the operation of

the regional public transport, rather

than private passenger transport. We

divided the region into 16 sub-regions

with the goal of establishing a network

that would serve half of the bus transport

capacity provided in the Moravian-Silesian region by 2030. At a minimum,

each of those 16 sub-regions would have

a refuelling station capable of meeting its

needs. To shorten the distance between

the point of production and the point

of consumption - which should be no

more than 10 km - we could also make

good use of the infrastructure of former

mines, connected by pipeline routes

that could be turned into functional

connecting corridors. The operators

of such infrastructure also see a new

commercial dimension in this, a potential

not only for their survival but also for

their growth. There are operators who

can operate, maintain and develop

those facilities, and hydrogen is one of

their new commercial activities.

There is also a new term hydrogenation.

Ideally, of the roughly 500 vehicles

in regional transport, half of them

should be running on hydrogen by

2030. Haví řov, Český Těšín and Třinec

regions are the first to do so. They

should be hydrogenated by 2027-28,

as the process has already begun with

investment intentions towards a filling

station as well as other investments

into renewable energy and other such

programs. This is not solely in the distant

future.

Hyundai in Nošovice has started mass

production of the hydrogen NEXO.

The first car was bought by Vítkovice.

Do you plan any cooperation towards

this direction?

We would like to do that, however,

we also need to realise what options

Hyundai Motor Czech has as an

established regional car manufacturer.

System processes are certainly not

decided on in the Nošovice plant, but

Hyundai Motor Czech- like many other

factories - is closer to applying hydrogen

to its own production processes,

though this might not be related to the

development and sale of those vehicles

directly. The use of hydrogen should

be interesting for them, they can use it

for in-house mobility. We should look

at Hyundai Motor Czech as a typical

consumer as well as producer of

hydrogen, the archetype that will spread

the idea of hydrogen production and

consumption in a widespread industrial

facility further.

Nonetheless, we also have other

manufacturers in the region who are

integrating the hydrogen fuel cell into

their vehicles. These are concepts

for hydrogen trains, suitable for

secondary lines, or the integration of

fuel cells into trucks and other utility

vehicles manufactured in our region.

These are ready-to-deploy products.

The

Moravian-Silesian

region

is

profiling itself here as one for whom the

application of hydrogen technologies

is natural and logical, one that can not

only take advantage of all this, but also

generate GDP as a result.

What is the current state of the

hydrogen railway in the region?

The region currently has two tracks that

would be very suitable for hydrogen,

these are the tracks between Olomouc,

Krnov, Opava and Ostrava along with

a branch towards Bruntál. Hydrogen

express trains today make use of a system

independent of electric traction, and so

are able to handle difficult tracks where

electrification would be complicated.