NextChem: under development the first waste to hydrogen plant in the world

As part of the "IPCEI Hy2Use" EU project, Maire Tecnimont announces that its subsidiary NextChem has been assigned a €194 million grant for the development of a waste-to-hydrogen plant, ready in the first half of 2027. The project sets up the Hydrogen Valley in Rome, the first industrial-scale technological hub for the development of the national supply chain for the production, transport, storage and use of hydrogen for the decarbonization of industrial processes and for sustainable mobility.

In the initial phase a production of 1,500 tons/year of hydrogen and 55,000 tons/year of ethanol is expected. The production of hydrogen will grow according to its demand, up to 20,000 tons per year, proportionally reducing the volumes of ethanol. Thanks to NextChem's proprietary technology, developed by its subsidiary MyRechemical, the plant will use 200,000 tons/year of non-recyclable solid waste as raw material, thus also contributing to optimizing the waste treatment cycle in Rome through a conversion process significantly reducing total CO2 emissions.

“This project, which is unique in the world, represents a milestone in the development of technologies combining circular economy and green chemistry” - commented Alessandro Bernini, CEO of Maire Tecnimont Group and of NextChem – “It enables us to act as pioneers in the decarbonization of hard-to-abate industries, with a model that can be replicated in other countries".

The European project also includes a contribution of approximately €4 million for additional research and development activities in waste-to-hydrogen technology, leveraging scientific partners such as Enea, Fondazione Bruno Kessler and La Sapienza University of Rome.