interviews: Maximiliano Crocamo
Interview: FVG councilor for tourism and production, Sergio Bini; mayor for Trieste, Roberto Dipiazza
In the shadow of a former industrial corridor once regarded as one of Italy’s most polluted zones, a new project is taking shape that local officials say could redefine the city’s energy future.
The so-called Hydrogen Hub, set to open by mid-2026, will produce up to 370 tons of hydrogen per year. The facility, located near the Hestambiente waste-to-energy plant, is part of Italy’s broader “Hydrogen Valley” initiative, financed largely through the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Plan.
The site, until recently derelict and unused, has been made available by the local Port Authority. Plans call for a 4.5-megawatt solar park connected to a 2.5-megawatt electrolyzer, which will generate hydrogen through the electrolysis of water using renewable power.
Carlo Andriolo, chief executive of AcegasApsAmga, described the initiative as a step toward decarbonization. “It is a completely carbon-free energy vector that will supply local transport systems and industries,” he said.
Regional officials frame the project as a first-of-its-kind investment in Italy. “We were able, in record time, to deploy funds from the Recovery Plan,” said Sergio Emidio Bini, Friuli Venezia Giulia’s regional councillor for economic development. The total cost of the hub is around 20 million euros, almost entirely covered by European recovery funding.
The hydrogen produced will be directed primarily toward local public transportation and logistics, both road and rail. City leaders see the initiative as part of a broader effort to move Trieste beyond its industrial past.
“This was once the most polluted area in Italy,” Mayor Roberto Dipiazza said, noting the closure of the Italcementi cement plant, the Ferriera steelworks, and the local oil refinery. “Today, those are gone, replaced with new facilities. I am very satisfied to have helped transform this part of the city into something like a garden.”
