Hy2Market Regional Highlight: Sicily, Italy
As one of the key regions in the Hy2Market project, Sicily plays a central role in demonstrating how hydrogen can support the decarbonisation of energy-intensive industries while fostering new opportunities for regional development. With five committed partners in the region, Sicily is advancing a pioneering pilot that integrates hydrogen into industrial energy production, while also exploring broader applications in refineries, petrochemicals, and industrial plants across the island.
At the heart of Sicily’s activities is the installation of a 1 MW green hydrogen pilot plant provided by De Nora at the Duferco site in Giammoro. This plant will supply hydrogen for a 58 MW peaker turbine, enabling hydrogen/natural gas blending to reduce CO₂emissions and contribute to power network regulation through Italian TSO dispatchment. The pilot is a crucial step toward scaling up hydrogen integration in energy systems and hard-to-abate industries.
The strength of Sicily’s hydrogen ecosystem lies in the collaboration of its five Hy2Market partners:
CNR-ITAE (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche – Istituto di Tecnologie Avanzate per l’Energia) contributes scientific expertise in system integration, optimization, and demonstration. Together with Duferco and Power Evolution, and with the contribution of Demcon and Summit, CNR-ITAE is modelling the whole energy conversion chain of the Sicilian pilot and deliver valuable insights on operation, management, and scaling-up for replication in other industrial contexts.
Duferco hosts the pilot at its Giammoro plant and provides industrial leadership in integrating hydrogen into the peaker turbine. Their role ensures that operational results on hydrogen utilization are directly linked to industrial needs, creating a strong business case for hydrogen substitution of natural gas in power generation.
De Nora, a global leader in electrochemical technologies, supplies the 1 MW pilot electrolyser. Their involvement ensures the production of high-quality green hydrogen and advances electrolysis technology for industrial-scale applications.
SNAM, Italy’s leading energy infrastructure company, will explore how existing infrastructure in Sicily can be repurposed to accommodate hydrogen, with a particular focus on replicating the business case in industries such as refineries and petrochemicals. Their experience in large-scale hydrogen initiatives, including IPCEI projects, strengthens the regional and European relevance of the pilot.
Power Evolution will focus on the optimization of hydrogen production, storage, and blending, assessing efficiency and quality aspects. They play a key role in design the entire plant ensuring that the pilot not only functions effectively but also provides transferable lessons for other sites and sectors.
Together, these partners are working on overcoming the challenges of replacing natural gas with green hydrogen, while also addressing broader strategies for reconverting and reclaiming industrial areas in economic transition. By coupling technological innovation with regional development goals, Sicily is positioning itself as a testing ground for the hydrogen economy in Southern Europe.
Sicily’s contribution to Hy2Market not only advances the project’s objectives but also reinforces the island’s role as a bridge between industrial decarbonisation and a new green economy. The knowledge gained from this pilot will be crucial for shaping Europe’s hydrogen future and for unlocking opportunities in regions facing industrial and environmental transformation.
Peaker Turbine at Duferco Sicilian pilot site:
Technical Inspection of Sicilian Partners at Duferco pilot site:
