H2APEX Advances Salt-Based Hydrogen Transport Technology
H2APEX says its subsidiary AKROS Energy GmbH has successfully commissioned a pilot-scale salt-based hydrogen storage facility in Laage, Germany, marking a potential breakthrough in long-distance hydrogen transport.
The pilot plant, officially brought into operation on 5 May 2026 at H2APEX’s Laage site near Rostock, uses potassium hydrogen carbonate as a chemical carrier medium to store and transport hydrogen without the need for high-pressure tanks or cryogenic systems.
The technology converts hydrogen and an aqueous potassium hydrogen carbonate solution into potassium formate using a proprietary catalyst system. According to AKROS, the resulting material is stable, non-toxic, non-flammable and can be stored indefinitely before being reconverted to release hydrogen at its destination.
The development addresses one of the hydrogen economy’s central logistical challenges: transporting large volumes of hydrogen economically and safely from renewable-rich production regions to industrial demand centres often located thousands of kilometres away.
Johannes Emigholz said the pilot plant demonstrated that the technology could operate on an industrial scale rather than solely under laboratory conditions. He said salt-based hydrogen carriers could provide a lower-infrastructure and cost-effective alternative for international hydrogen supply chains.
The project was developed with support from Evonik and Siemens, while scientific research was conducted alongside the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis in Rostock. The initiative forms part of the FormaPort research and development programme, supported by the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and co-financed by the European Union.
Officials said the technology could play an important role in enabling future hydrogen import corridors connecting Europe with renewable energy exporters including Australia, Chile, Namibia and Morocco, where large-scale green hydrogen production potential exists but transport infrastructure remains limited.
The company is expected to showcase the technology to industrial customers and investors during the World Hydrogen Summit 2026 in Rotterdam this week as it seeks to move from pilot deployment toward commercialisation.
AKROS’s pilot project highlights growing industry interest in alternative hydrogen carrier technologies as the sector searches for economically viable transport solutions beyond pipelines and liquefaction. While the technology still faces commercial scaling challenges, demonstrating industrial operation is a significant step, particularly as Europe intensifies efforts to secure long-distance green hydrogen imports. If the process proves energy-efficient and commercially competitive, chemical carrier systems could become an important component of future global hydrogen trade.
