Latvia: The respective agreement was signed by Hanko Trans, the Estonian company that owns the Latvian transport company DZ Loko, and the Spanish Coolergy, which has been developing cryogenic and gas chemical equipment since 2023.
Under the agreement, Coolergy will refurbish and convert 12 TGM4 diesel locomotives to hydrogen. The locomotives were built by the Lyudinovo Diesel Locomotive Plant and are currently in service at the port of Riga. The first vehicle is scheduled to be completed by September 2024. The conversion is expected to halve fuel costs, eliminate harmful emissions, and improve the technical performance of the locomotives. According to Coolergy, such an upgrade is in line with the Riga Seaport’s 2030 carbon neutrality transition programme.
As Coolergy told ROLLINGSTOCK, a refurbished locomotive will have an output of 550 kW and have fuel cells. The company is now looking for its supplier.
The agreement between Hanko Trans and Coolergy actually involves the life cycle contracts with a monthly fee for locomotive maintenance and hydrogen supply. Coolergy is therefore planning to build a plant to produce and liquefy more than 50 t of hydrogen per year. Located in a Baltic country, the plant will be powered by renewable energy, and the company says it is in negotiations with owners of wind power capacities in Estonia and Latvia.
