Apr 9, 2025

Image: Adamdl06204917, Wikimedia Commons, C00 Share Fincantieri said it is constructing the world’s first hydrogen-powered cruise ship, the “Viking Libra,” which will be capable of generating onboard electricity and propulsion using hydrogen stored onboard. The vessel, under construction at the Fincantieri Ancona shipyard, is scheduled for delivery in late 2026 and will accommodate up to 998 guests in 499 staterooms. The Viking Libra will feature polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell systems produced by a Fincantieri subsidiary. Fincantieri also said that it has signed an agreement with Viking to build two more cruise ships for delivery in 2031, with an option for two additional vessels. Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan said it will debut the world’s first hydrogen cartridge-powered vending machine at the 2025 Kansai Expo in Osaka. The vending machine was developed with Fuji Electric and will serve as a testing ground for future technologies. ““As a next-generation vending machine that is unaffected by weather or installation location and does not emit CO2 during operation, it brings together cutting-edge technologies from Japan and abroad,” said Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan. Spain’s Instituto para la Diversificación y Ahorro de la Energía (IDAE) has approved €1.2 billion ($1.3 billion) in funding to support seven renewable hydrogen production and consumption projects across Aragon, Andalusia, Castilla y León, and Galicia, under the European Union’s Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan. Hamburg Commercial Bank (HCOB) said that the metal and chemical industries, as well as refineries, are expected to be among the first significant green hydrogen consumers. HCOB said that green hydrogen must be produced cost-effectively and in large quantities for industry decarbonization to succeed, with local production and infrastructure development in Europe by 2030 critical to accelerating this effort. Air Liquide said its electrolyzer in Oberhausen, Germany, has become the country's first plant to receive the RFNBO certificate. The French company said the certification allows companies to officially declare hydrogen from Oberhausen as a greenhouse gas-reducing fuel. Electric Hydrogen said its fully integrated solution reduces the total installed cost of clean hydrogen projects by up to 60% with its PEM technology and modular approach. The US-based PEM electrolyzer specialist said solution features a single plant design with configurable electrolysis capacity from 80 MW to 120 MW, capable of producing 1,500 kg to 2,300 kg of hydrogen per hour. Honeywell said it has launched a suite of AI-enabled technologies aimed at reducing hydrogen production costs. It claimed that the solution improves electrolysis efficiency and optimizes plant operations by integrating predictive control algorithms, making hydrogen production more sustainable and cost-effective. BGR Tech said it has signed a heads of agreement (HOA) with engineering contractor Chemie Tech to collaborate on multi-megawatt lump sum turnkey (LSTK) green hydrogen and ammonia projects throughout the world. It said they plan to focus on regions such as the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Australia, and India. BGR Tech will provide critical green hydrogen generation and purification equipment, including electrolyzers. This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com . Popular content Δ By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment. Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so. You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled. Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy . Subscribe to our global magazine