Axpo - Experts & Thought Leaders

A ground-breaking ceremony was held by Axpo and its partner shareholders in the H2Uri company to mark the start of construction on a new green hydrogen production plant in Bürglen, central Switzerland. The facility will be Axpo's second such plant in the country. From 2026, green hydrogen from the 2 MW plant will fuel the first hydrogen passenger vessel on Lake Lucerne, as well as other applications. hydrogen production plant The plant will be located adjacent to the EWA-Energie Uri hydropower plant in Bürglen which will supply it Axpo and partners Schätzle AG, EWA-Energie Uri, and SGV Holding AG (Schifffahrtsgesellschaft Vierwaldstättersee) broke ground on the site of a new hydrogen production plant to be constructed by H2Uri, a company in which all four partners are shareholders. The plant will be located adjacent to the EWA-Energie Uri hydropower plant in Bürglen, which will supply it with green electricity for the production of hydrogen. green hydrogen Annual production of up to 260 tonnes of green hydrogen is planned, saving the use of more than one million liters of diesel.  Axpo Head of Power Plants and Green Gases Guy Bühler said, "Having already gained valuable experience with our green H2 plant in Domat/Ems, this project in Bürglen is a continuation of our strategy to play our part in the development of the hydrogen economy in Switzerland." Hydrogen vessel on Lake Lucerne The new plant’s green hydrogen will be used, among other things, to power the passenger vessel ‘Saphir’ on Lake Lucerne. SGV Managing Director Stefan Schulthess said, "By converting the vessel to a hydrogen fuel cell system, we can significantly reduce our CO2 emissions. Plans for this are already well advanced." H2Uri shareholder Schätzle AG, which operates an Avia hydrogen refueling station in central Switzerland, will also purchase green hydrogen produced by the plant. Axpo and its partners aim to have the new facility up and running as early as next year. Shaping the hydrogen economy  The inclusion of hydrogen in the energy mix will help strengthen Switzerland’s security of supply The inclusion of hydrogen in the energy mix will help strengthen Switzerland’s security of supply. Axpo is also driving forward its decarbonization efforts with other investments in hydrogen projects, regionally, nationally, and internationally.  Axpo’s head of hydrogen Guy Bühler continued, "There are still many challenges in the hydrogen market, so I don’t expect progress to be continual." Hydrogen-related events "Nevertheless, I remain convinced that decarbonization cannot be achieved through electrification alone. Hydrogen will be part of the solution." Axpo continues to participate in various hydrogen-related events to share experiences and ideas. The company also relies on appropriate national and international partnerships to further develop its projects along the hydrogen value chain, cooperating with decision-makers and thought pioneers in the field. Project in Wildegg-Brugg on track The ambition of Axpo's hydrogen team can also be seen in the planned green hydrogen production plant at Wildegg-Brugg The ambition of Axpo's hydrogen team can also be seen in the planned green hydrogen production plant at Wildegg-Brugg in the Swiss canton of Aargau. After an initial delay in obtaining a building permit, construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2025.  Sustainable supply Axpo’s Bühler added, "While this plant is being built, we’re planning to supply our partner Voegtlin-Meyer’s nearby H2 refueling station with green hydrogen from Axpo’s production facilities in Domat/Ems and, when it comes onstream, Bürglen." The Wildegg-Brugg project aims to contribute to the sustainable supply of green hydrogen for transportation and industrial uses in the surrounding region. Its hydrogen will also fuel Voegtlin-Meyer buses operated on behalf of Switzerland’s PostAuto AG network.

Axpo is renewing and modernizing the facilities of the supra-regional distribution grid at the Wildegg-Brugg power plant in Villnachern. As part of this, Axpo is replacing the existing switchgear due to its age. Construction work will start in spring 2025, and Axpo will further strengthen the security of supply in the region with this modernization.  Supra-regional distribution grid The existing switchgear, which is housed in the Willdegg-Brugg power plant (KWWB), has reached the end of its technical life. Axpo is also increasing the voltage of its supra-regional distribution grid from 50 to 110 kilovolts (kV). For these reasons, the 50 kV air-insulated indoor switchgear will be replaced by a modern and compact 110 kV switchgear. The switchgear will be used to connect and disconnect the connected lines (Umiken, Wildegg and Lupfig) of the supra-regional distribution grid and the KWWB. For operational and technical reasons, the new switchgear will be housed in a new building next to the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Villnachern in the zone for public buildings. The substation will be built on land owned by the municipality of Villnachern, for which the municipality has granted Axpo a building lease. Optimizing visual integration The Swiss Federal Inspectorate for Heavy Current Installations (ESTI) approved the construction in August 2024 The Swiss Federal Inspectorate for Heavy Current Installations (ESTI) approved the construction in August 2024. Due to conditions relating to vegetation and soil moisture, it is not possible to start construction in autumn/winter. Construction work is therefore scheduled to begin in spring 2025. The new substation is scheduled to be commissioned in 2026.  The building was designed in consultation with the municipality of Villnachern and Pro Natura in order to optimize its visual integration into the landscape. It will consist largely of wooden elements. The site will also be enhanced with ecological infrastructure. Once built, the facility will not generate any additional emissions such as noise or traffic. It will be operated and monitored remotely. Increasing transmission capacity Axpo is gradually increasing the operating voltage of its supra-regional distribution grid from 50 to 110 kV in order to adapt it to future requirements. The voltage conversion will increase the transmission capacity of the grid and reduce grid losses by 75 per cent. The operating voltage of the grid in the Unteres Aaretal/Brugg region is also being converted. An important part of this is the renewal of the Villnachern substation.

In its first investment in Poland, Axpo has acquired a plant in Western Pomerania, which produces green energy mainly from agricultural waste, it has been announced. The company plans to develop further biogas projects in the country over the coming years, making Poland one of five European countries in which Axpo has entered the biogas market. Axpo acquires Polish biogas plant In October 2024, Axpo purchased a biogas plant from private shareholders. In the upcoming months, Axpo will renovate the facility and bring it up to its standards. The facility has been in operation since the end of 2020 and is located in the village of Stare Ślepce in the province of Western Pomerania. It processes approximately 20,000 tons of agricultural substrates annually, consisting mostly of agricultural waste. Without a plant’s anaerobic digestion process, waste would emit large amounts of methane and CO2 into the atmosphere. Biogas facility adds to Axpo’s green energy portfolio The electricity generated is fed into the grid as part of Axpo’s green energy portfolio The biogas facility produces 6,640 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity a year, as well as organic fertilizer (so-called ‘digestate’), which has a zero-carbon footprint. The electricity generated is fed into the grid as part of Axpo’s green energy portfolio. The digestate is used by farmers in the region to fertilize their land. More projects in the pipeline The Stare Ślepce plant is the first such facility to be owned by Axpo in Poland. The company plans further growth in the country, including the development of biogas projects. These activities are part of Axpo Group's broader strategy of supplying green gas to European markets. Axpo Group’s Head of Biogas International, Véronique Abrate, said: “Renewable gas is key to the decarbonization of the agricultural sector and the energy transition, so we are looking forward to developing biogas projects in Poland as well. This is an interesting emerging market to which we have much to offer.” Axpo’s biogas assets in Poland Axpo Polska’s Managing Director, Grzegorz Biliński, stated: “So far, we have been expanding in the Polish market by trading and selling power and gas to business customers. Having our own biogas assets is a major milestone for us and also helps diversify our energy portfolio.” Grzegorz Biliński adds, “Poland represents a large share of the European agricultural sector, making it an attractive market for developing projects using agricultural waste for the production of energy. It is also a sector that really does need to implement decarbonization solutions.” Extensive expertise in the biogas sector Axpo has extensive experience in operating biomass and biogas facilities Axpo has extensive experience in operating biomass and biogas facilities. In Switzerland, it is an industry major in the dry fermentation of organic waste, with 15 biogas plants producing renewable energy and nutrient-rich natural fertilizers. Elsewhere in Europe, Axpo is also pioneering the development of biogas facilities. In Spain, for example, the Torre Santamaría dairy farm uses the manure of its livestock to produce bio-methane. The plant currently injects 26 gigawatt hours (GWh) of bio-methane into the gas grid every year and in future will more than quadruple its annual bio-methane production to 115 GWh. Axpo expands into the Portuguese and Italian markets This year, Axpo also expanded into the Portuguese and Italian markets. In April, the company launched a 15 GWh bio-methane project in Portugal, which is expected to be operational by the end of 2025. In September, Axpo announced the start of construction of its first bio-methane plant in Italy which is expected to produce around 45 GWh of renewable energy a year and will also commence operations by the end of 2025.