Hannover Fairs International GmbH (HFI), a subsidiary of Deutsche Messe AG, is launching a new hydrogen trade show under the name
HYPE — the Hydrogen Power Expo. Being held in Rimini 5-7 March 2025 in collaboration with Italian Exhibition Group (IEG), the event will take place as part of the KEY Energy trade fair, which targets enhancing ‘Italy’s role in the hydrogen market’.
The organisers of HYPE say the event offers exhibiting companies a platform and networking opportunities to showcase and promote their expertise, know-how and technologies, while establishing ‘a further international forum for the hydrogen community to advance the discussion on the use of hydrogen and its role in the energy transition’. This new event is supported by
Hydrogen & Fuel Cells Europe, which takes place annually as part of Hannover Messe and is Europe’s ‘premier trade show for hydrogen and fuel cells in an industrial context’.
The background to the event revolves around Italy’s aim to be an energy hub at the centre of Europe, following cooperation agreements signed recently by the Italian government with several other countries and thereby reinforce its role as a natural link between the African continent and Europe.
‘Hydrogen highway’Of particular note among the projects resulting from these agreements is the South H2 Corridor, a pipeline network spanning about 3,300km and designed to transport ‘green hydrogen’ from Algeria and Tunisia to Central European markets via Italy. Companies from Germany, Austria, and Italy, for example, are involved in the project. This so-called ‘hydrogen highway’ will be integrated into the existing network of gas pipelines between North Africa and Italy, and figures among the European Union’s cross-border infrastructure projects. It is planned to go live in 2030 with a transport capacity of 4 million tonnes of hydrogen per year.
As part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), which is ‘focused on revitalising the economy after the pandemic crisis’, 3.64 billion euros were made available in Italy to bolster the supply chain. Of this, 500 million euros have been specifically allocated for funding the development of 54 ‘Hydrogen Valleys’ across the country in regions that include Trentino-Alto Adige,
Lombardy, Lazio, Campania, Puglia, and Sicily (Hydrogen Valleys are ecosystems in specific geographical areas where the efficient production and use of green hydrogen in industry and transport is facilitated by the development of ‘cutting-edge infrastructures and technologies’, which are a fundamental element of Italy’s new energy strategy).