Rostock/Laage, Germany/Grevenmacher, Luxembourg, 09.05.2023 – APEX Group (“APEX”), a leading developer and operator of green hydrogen electrolysis plants for the decarbonization of industry, infrastructure and mobility and 100% subsidiary of exceet Group SCA (ISIN LU0472835155), has been awarded the contract in a public tender by Barnimer Energiebeteiligungsgesellschaft mbH (“BEBG”) based in Brandenburg, Germany. The overall project comprises the construction of a hydrogen train filling station for the railway line Heidekrautbahn which in future will operate with hydrogen-powered trains on a line in the north of Berlin via Basdorf in the districts of Oberhavel and Barnim. The trains will be powered exclusively with green hydrogen. As the general contractor for the project, APEX is responsible for the entire planning in the areas of electrical engineering, control systems and approval procedures as well as for overseeing the construction of the installation of the filling station. APEX will also assume responsibility for the commissioning of the filling station, including training for the driving personnel and for plant/operating staff.
The filling station is to be located at the site of the former coaling station near Mühlenbecker Damm Street in 16348 Wandlitz/Basdorf, which is adjacent to the premises of the railway company Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn (“NEB”). The construction of the filling station is scheduled to take place from May 2024 to August 2024 with the test operations and approval to be completed between September 2024 and December 2024. Train services are scheduled to start in December 2024 on the RB 27 regional train line. Beginning with the new timetable in December 2024, NEB will refuel seven trains a day depending on actual usage.
Peter Rößner, CEO of APEX, said: “The Heidekrautbahn will be one of the first hydrogen-powered railway lines in Germany. Projects of this type are characterized by a high level of interdisciplinary complexity and, in view of the availability requirements for train operations, places special demands on the technical solutions for the hydrogen infrastructure. These include, among other things, specific time slots that must be used for refueling. As experts in the planning of such plants, we are looking forward to embarking on this project in collaboration with the project partners.”
The construction and operation of the filling station will be conducted by the contracting entity BEBG. NEB will acquire the hydrogen trains and operate them on NEB’s network. The energy company ENERTRAG will be responsible for the production, supply and delivery of green hydrogen.
The project is expected to generate a total of EUR 6.9 million in revenue for APEX in the 2023 and 2024 financial years. This project has no impact on the revenue forecast of at least EUR 15 million for the 2023 financial year, as the vast majority of the revenues from this project will be generated in the 2024 financial year.
As is customary in public tenders under public procurement law, there is a 14-day objection period for all bidders who have not been awarded the contract.
APEX has already built the first hydrogen filling station for heavy-duty transport in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, which the company has been successfully operating since October 2022, and has thus acquired relevant experience. The filling station is located at Rostock-Laage Airport in the immediate vicinity of the A19 and the A20 motorway junction and serves the refueling of trucks, buses and cars with up to 450 kg of green hydrogen per day, which is produced on a carbon-neutral basis by APEX.