Ing. Zdeněk Vomočil, Ph.D., Moravskoslezský Vodíkový Klastr, z. s.
www.posiv.cz ǀ 7
HYDROGEN
a genuine opportunity for the region’s development.
Our role is to bring together public authorities,
industrial companies, the transport sector, research
and educational institutions, and to create the conditions
for projects that will deliver real economic benefits.
This is why we are increasingly focusing on project
development, the preparation of investment plans
and support for specific initiatives that can contribute
to the development of the hydrogen ecosystem.
Cross-border cooperation with Poland has become
an exceptionally important area for us. Our region
and those of our northern neighbours face very
similar challenges associated with the transformation
of industry and the energy sector. We therefore believe
that the future of the hydrogen economy cannot be
built in isolation within the administrative borders
of individual countries, but rather through intensive
cooperation and the joint development of projects.
I am convinced that cross-border cooperation
with Poland will be one of the key factors in the success
of the entire region in the years ahead.
Equally important, however, is systematic work
to create the right conditions for research,
development and innovation. The Cluster has
long advocated the need for specialised support
instruments that would enable the development
of hydrogen technologies. I am therefore very pleased
that we have succeeded in securing the launch of such
a call under the Just Transition Operational Programme
(OP ST). This represents an important milestone not
only for hydrogen, but also for the region’s future
competitiveness. It is thanks to these efforts that
the CEETe H2 project is now being developed,
creating a unique facility for testing and demonstrating
hydrogen technologies.
In two years’ time, the first hydrogen buses will
be operating in our region – specifically, four
buses operated by the Moravian-Silesian Region
and two by the Ostrava Public Transport Company.
This is a significant step towards the practical use
of hydrogen in transport and, at the same time, proof
that the region is capable of turning strategic thinking
into concrete, implemented projects.
Another important milestone is our increasingly strong
international position. We have become a partner
in the AMPHORA project, our first Horizon Europe
project, opening up new opportunities for cooperation
with leading European players. At the same time, we
have successfully secured support through the Project
Development Assistance programme, implemented
by the European Commission. This support
is available only to selected European hydrogen
valleys and provides access to top-level expertise
for the further development of projects. The Moravian-
Silesian Region has thus become the first region
in the history of the Czech Republic to receive this
form of European support.
Our ambitions do not end there, however. We
are currently preparing further projects aimed
at strengthening the region’s position among
Europe’s leading centres for hydrogen technologies.
One of these is a plan to establish a regional hydrogen
hub that would bring together industry, the public
sector and investors within a single, functioning system.
Although expert debate about the future shape
of the hydrogen economy is still ongoing, one
thing is already clear. Success will not depend on
technology alone. What will be decisive is the ability
to collaborate, share experience, develop high-quality
projects and find solutions that are economically viable
and sustainable in the long term. This is where I see
the main mission of our Cluster and the key challenge
for the years ahead.
I believe that the stories, projects and experiences
presented on the following pages will demonstrate
that our region has all the prerequisites to become
one of the leaders in hydrogen development in Central
Europe.