ROME: Kuwait Petroleum International (Q8) announced Monday it has laid the foundation of the first hydrogen refueling station in the Italian capital Rome. In a press statement sent to KUNA, the company said that it would "launch the first station to supply hydrogen in Rome in collaboration with the specialized Maire Group”. The announcement was made at a ceremony attended by the company’s representatives in Italy along with Italian government officials and energy and transport industry leaders.
Q8 noted that the project comes in implementation of the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation’s strategy to provide its customers with a variety of clean and sustainable petroleum products made from renewable raw materials. It clarified that the provision of hydrogen fuel would transform the station into an integrated center to support sustainable and low-emission mobility. It is a valuable addition to Q8 fueling stations and to its current services which include providing conventional fuel of liquefied petroleum gas and methane, electric car charging service, as well as hydrogen fuel once construction is completed by 2026, added the statement.
It pointed out this initiative will enable Q8 customers in the future to travel about 100 km using one kilogram of hydrogen fuel for small vehicles and eight kilograms for large buses, which would reduce carbon dioxide emissions compared to conventional fuel by more than 75 percent. "This project was developed in cooperation with the Italian government within the framework of its national plan for economic recovery and resilience aimed at developing a sustainable mobility network by supporting renewable energy and hydrogen projects,” it stated, unveiling that it would be funded equally by the partners and the European Union’s Fund for Future Generations.
The statement quoted the CEO of Kuwait Petroleum International Shafi Al-Ajmi, as saying: "Italy is considered the most important European market for the company due to the volume of its operations there: Over 2,800 fueling stations in addition to the Naples depot and the Milazzo refinery”. "We will continue to implement KPC’s approach to the energy transition for the year 2050, by supporting the global movement to reduce harmful gas emissions in all of our global operations,” he asserted. He congratulated CEO of Q8 Italy and its leadership for their great role and efforts to make this achievement.
Executive Director of Q8 Italy Fadhel Al-Faraj said: "Q8-Italy seeks to transform from a conventional fuel provider into a diversified energy company, within the framework of its energy transformation strategy. We welcome all sustainable products as they help us achieve our first goal, which is to respond to the needs of our customers, thus preserving our market share, and our second goal which is to establish a sustainable supply network for future vehicles in Italy.”
Meanwhile, Kuwaiti Ambassador to Italy Nasser Al-Qahtani hailed Q8’s initiative to establish the first hydrogen refueling station in Rome and its contribution to the transition to clean sustainable energy. "The adoption of this new pioneering step by Kuwait Petroleum International and its branch in Italy to contribute to the development of the Italian network for the transportation, storage and use of renewable products is directed towards transforming the vast Q8 network stations into an integrated center for renewable products with low emissions,” Qahtani told KUNA.
He underlined that the step shows the Kuwaiti company’s role in achieving the goals of environmental sustainability and the Italian and European policies for energy transition through joint investment with the Italian government within the framework of its national plan for economic recovery, flexibility and sustainable mobility. Qahtani admired KPC’s strategy goal of energy transition by 2050 to contribute to the global efforts aiming to reduce harmful emissions, and the importance of Q8 investments in Italy, which has contributed over 30 years to the growth of the Italian economy and the strengthening of bilateral relations. — KUNA