The Hyflexpower consortium has successfully adapted a combustion system of a Siemens Energy SGT-400 gas turbine for hydrogen. 

The consortium was formed by Britain’s Centrax, French energy company Engie, the German Aerospace Center, Siemens Energy and European universities, with financial support from the EU.

The test was carried out at a Smurfit Kappa paper packaging factory near the French city of Limoges. The process was compared to replacing the carburettor of an internal combustion car engine by Engie vice president Frank Lacroix.

“We’ve just achieved a world first, which involves injecting 100 per cent hydrogen into a gas turbine to produce electricity,” he told reporters.

Green hydrogen is a versatile, storable, potentially zero-carbon fuel source that has been hailed as a solution for countries to reach their net-zero targets. It produces only heat and water as by-products when burned or used in fuel cells, making it a highly attractive alternative...