CENTRAL HYDROGEN CLUSTER - Świętokrzyskie Kopalnie Surowców Mineralnych

On November 25, 2021, a Declaration on the Establishment of Łaszczyński Brothers Świętokrzyskie Hydrogen Cluster was signed. The ceremonial signing of the declaration was attended by the representatives of central authorities, i.e. Member of the Prime Minister’s Council of Political Advisors – MP Krzysztof Lipiec, Prime Minister’s Plenipotentiary for the Clean Air Programme – Mr. Bartłomiej Orzeł, and Mr. Zbigniew Koniusz – the Voivode of the Świętokrzyskie Province, as well as the representatives of our local authorities, including Marshal of the Voivodeship Andrzej Bętkowski and the representatives of the City of Kielce and its municipalities: Chęciny, Miedziana Góra, Łagów, Daleszyce and Morawica.

In July, 2022 the name of the Cluster was changed from Świętokrzyskie to Central, as 20 new entities entered the path of hydrogen development. These or local governments and companies from all over Poland.

– ‘I believe that the development in the field of innovation and modern technologies related to investments in green hydrogen will be a strong impulse for the economic development of the entire region in the coming years’, said the MP Krzysztof Lipiec, during the inauguration of the Cluster. The declaration on the establishment of the Cluster was also signed by the President of the Industrial Development Agency, Mr. Cezariusz Lesisz and the representatives of top Polish companies involved in the development of hydrogen technologies, including Columbus Energy, SBB Energy, AIUT, Bisek Asfalt and Inwex, as well as the representatives of the world of science, including major scientific institutions in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship: the Jan Kochanowski University and the Kielce University of Technology, as well as the representatives of the Institute of Energy and the National Center for Nuclear Research.

We are glad that the IDA Group company, only five years ago saved from liquidation thanks to the Agency’s involvement, is now becoming a leader in our regional economic life and innovativeness’ , said the President Cezariusz Lesisz. The Cluster’s objective is to create an open cooperation forum open to all entities willing to take actions for the development of zero-emission energy sources and green hydrogen production in the Świętokrzyskie region. The signatories of the declaration are striving to create zero-emission energy sources capable of producing 4 TWh of energy annualy and hydrogen electrolysers with a capacity of 250 MW, which is expected to boost the production to 50.000 tons of clean hydrogen to drive heavy equipment, trucks and public transport in cities. This is to reduce CO2 emissions by 400.000 tons per year. It is assumed that this goal will be achieved by 2030.

Watch the coverage of the inauguration of the Świętokrzyskie Hydrogen Cluster named after Łaszczyński brothers.

– ‘As Prime Minister’s Plenipotentiary for the Clean Air Programme, I warmly welcome this initiative and I will provide it with all possible support’, said Bartłomiej Orzeł, during the inauguration.

The cluster was named after the Łaszczyński Brothers with the aim to appreciate and commemorate our outstanding Polish entrepreneurs, such as Stanisław and Bolesław Łaszczyński, who inaugurated the first electrolysis process in the Świętokrzyskie region over 100 years ago. At the beginning of the 20th century they exploited copper ore in Miedzianka near Chęciny. In 1902, they were one of the first in the world to produce copper and zinc in the process of electrolysis.

– ‘We are glad that the traditions of innovation and modern industry in the Chęciny Commune are now so easily continued as part of a green transformation’, said the Mayor of the Chęciny Commune, Mr. Robert Jaworski. The descendants of the Łaszczyński Brothers wrote a letter to the participants of the ceremony: ‘We are extremely pleased that our grandparents, Stanisław and Bolesław, become patrons of this thoroughly modern technological investment. In order to achieve success, the founders will need a lot of strength, enormous commitment and goodwill As we can see, the cooperation of your economic initiatives with the local authorities of the Świętokrzyskie region can be a great starting point.’, wrote in the letter Mr. Michał Łaszczyński and Anna Kulińska, née Łaszczyńska.

Central Hydrogen Cluster named after the Łaszczyński brothers is an association of the Signatories organized by the Cluster Leader (ŚIG INDUSTRIA) for the following purposes:

to create an appropriate background of zero-emission energy sources in order to meet the demand for energy and hydrogen from the Signatories
to achieve a total annual production of 4TWh per in 2030 among the Signatories
to produce hydrogen from zero-emission energy sources and available water resources, e.g. from the drainage of mining plants
to achieve a total annual production of 50,000 tons of green hydrogen in 2030 among the Signatories

to support the installation of hydrogen production equipment which meet the needs of machinery, logistics and energy storage
to create the installations for storage, distribution and refueling of hydrogen
to create machine parks and a hydrogen-powered car fleet
to create a forum for contacts and coordination of the cooperation among the Signatories

The Signatories declared that:

they aim at meeting the goals of the Polish Hydrogen Strategy by 2030 with a perspective until 2040, adopted by the Council of Ministers on November 2, 2021;
they take into consideration the objectives of the adopted Polish Energy Policy until 2040 within the field of building a low-emission energy system while ensuring energy security, energy efficiency and reducing the impact of the energy sector on the environment;
they respect the assumptions of Directive (EU)2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 as regards the promotion of energy from renewable sources (RED II Directive) and its Hydrogen strategy for a Climate-Neutral Europe 2020 of 8 July 2020
they aim to fulfill the goals covered by the Strategy of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship 2030+ and the goals set out in the draft of the Regional Operational Program

they see an urgent need for the development and use of modern, zero-emission energy sources that are an appropriate response to the changes taking place in the modern economy
they are convinced that the development and use of zero-emission energy sources are beneficial both for entrepreneurs and all other social partners as well as the natural environment
they are involved in creating a platform for cooperation, information exchange and coordination of activities aimed at supporting the development of an economy based on zero-emission energy sources in the Świętokrzyskie region
they believe that thanks to such a platform we will achieve the greatest effectiveness of our activities, in particular due to the participation of all social partners involved in economic processes, i.e. entrepreneurs, scientific institutions and public administration