DEDA: Creates a model ‘hydrogen village’

An innovative project is currently being prepared by DEDA with the creation of a model “village” where all its energy needs in heating, cooling and electricity will be covered by the use of hydrogen. The managing director of DEDA Marios Tsakas, who is currently inspecting the PV projects in Western Macedonia, spoke to APE-MPE about the project, explaining that the “hydrogen village” can refer to a geographical unit located even as a district within the boundaries of a municipality or a municipal community adjacent to a small urban center while specifying that its population characteristics will not exceed 800 inhabitants.

He explained that he will not enter into any nomenclature for the region, as the final decision will be in collaboration with the Ministry of Development which supervises the issues of the Just Developmental Transition in the region as well as with other agencies.

Mr. Tsakas stated that while the venture started as a small and measured project so that it could even be self-financed by the company, it seems that “with the innovation it implements and the technological solutions it offers, it has stimulated the investment interest of Energy funds” . He revealed that the project participated with 150 other hydrogen proposals from around the world in a Scientific Committee representing funds with a main focus on hydrogen investments. DEDA’s “hydrogen village” is among the 50 proposals selected by the Commission and as Mr. Marios Tsakas explained “next week our proposal will be presented to investors”.

He said that once there is interest from various European and private economic entities in the work of DEDA “we can review the scale of the project as well as the ways of financing it”. The minimum budget foreseen in the case of self-financing of the project is 2.5 million euros, which means that with the possible involvement of the private sector and other financing schemes, the project can rise to a different investment category.