Supermarket Giant MPREIS Investing in Hydrogen Technology

By April 22, 2020 4   min read  (737 words)

April 22, 2020 |

MPREIS Main

A plant for the production of “green” hydrogen is now being built near the company headquarters in Völs near Innsbruck. The goal is massive savings in CO2 and relief for the environment.

In the presence of representatives of the company MPREIS, Tyrolean business, EU project consortium and press, the groundbreaking ceremony for the innovative MPREIS hydrogen project took place yesterday Thursday, March 12, 2020, on the property of the Therese Mölk bakery. The Tyrolean family company is thus providing an important impetus for a better future.

Because in the future, green hydrogen will be produced here with the help of green electricity, which will initially be used as part of the EU project Demo4Grid for test-based power grid control by TIWAG. The hydrogen generated in this way is used for CO2-neutral heating at the Therese Mölk bakery. Subsequently, it will serve as fuel for fuel cell vehicles. In the long term, MPREIS will convert all trucks to hydrogen operation and deliver emissions-free and CO2-neutral with the environmentally friendly fleet.

Versatile hydrogen
Hydrogen is suitable for CO2-neutral heating of buildings and as a fuel for vehicles. As an energy store, it can compensate for fluctuations in the electricity supply and thus support the switch to renewable energy sources. That is why hydrogen will play a decisive role globally in solving climate issues and regionally in converting the Tyrolean energy system to “Tirol 2050 energy-autonomous”.

MPREIS Wasserstoff Initiative Collage

Innovative application of a proven technology
Hydrogen has been produced and used for more than 100 years. The main applications are in the chemical industry, the production of fertilizers and food technology. However, the new project is groundbreaking and groundbreaking in many ways.
Treated groundwater is used as the raw material, and electricity from regional hydropower is used as energy. Even the waste heat is used to heat the Therese Mölk bakery, resulting in very high energy efficiency of over 90%.

The conversion of the logistics fleet to hydrogen trucks will be really revolutionary. There is currently only one manufacturer worldwide that offers such vehicles, but the development is progressing inexorably. No wonder, because fuel cell vehicles are very environmentally friendly in operation: like electric cars, they are practically silent and only emit water vapor as exhaust gas. In addition to an enormous saving in CO2, this means a noticeable relief in terms of noise and fine dust.

MPREIS Wasserstoff Initiative

Cooperation with regional partners

MPREIS cooperates with partners from the region in the implementation. The strategy and project development takes place together with the Tyrolean EU project partner FEN Systems in the Green Energy Center in Innsbruck. The company works with TIWAG / TINETZ for electricity purchasing and the electricity network. For the technical implementation, ILF from Rum was brought on board and the electrolysis technology comes from the Swiss company IHT.

The investment volume for the innovative project, which is also the spearhead of an emerging hydrogen economy, is 13 million euros. Financial support comes from the European Commission, the Austrian and the Swiss federal governments. Active support comes from the Tyrolean state policy and from the numerous administrative bodies that provided the corresponding permits in the 3-year development process of the absolute New Land project.

A surprisingly small area is sufficient for the ambitious project. The electrolysis system for hydrogen production is to be built on a little more than 1,000 m² and should begin test operation in the coming year. At around 9 m, the hall will be about the height of a typical farmhouse. A combined filling station for diesel and hydrogen follows in the second construction phase. The changeover to the fleet will take around seven years since the existing vehicles will only be replaced at the end of their useful life.

With this courageous and future-oriented project, MPREIS underpins its position as a sustainability pioneer and assumes corporate responsibility together with regional and international partners.

About MPREIS
Over 150,000 people trust MPREIS’s variety of products and prices every day. The modern cut grocer is represented in the Alpine region with over 277 emotionally aesthetic markets. With its roots in Tyrol, the responsible family company always moves between tradition and innovation. This is reflected both in the range and in the architecture of the markets. It is important to MPREIS and its more than 6,100 employees to fulfill the most diverse wishes of customers with regional products and international trends.

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