Hydros Power to participate in the development of the first hydrogen-powered boat in the Basque Country

Hydros Power is part of the consortium that will develop BASK-H2BOAT, a pioneering project to design, build and validate the first hydrogen-powered boat in the Basque Country. The project, backed by the Regional Government of Gipuzkoa through the Smart Mobility Industry 2026 programme, aims to demonstrate the technical viability of hydrogen as an energy vector in light maritime transport.

BASK-H2BOAT project, Smart Mobility Industry 2026 programme, Regional Government of Gipuzkoa

Why hydrogen at sea?

Today’s electric boats depend entirely on their battery capacity. This directly limits range and requires long recharging times that constrain operations, particularly in coastal and port applications where vessel availability is critical.

With the BASK-H2BOAT project, the consortium proposes an alternative: integrating a fuel cell powered by compressed hydrogen that generates electricity continuously during navigation. This extends the system’s operational range, reduces battery dependency and shortens refueling times compared to conventional recharging cycles.

The goal is not to replace electric propulsion, but to complement it with hydrogen where batteries alone don’t provide a sufficient solution, an approach consistent with the vision Hydros Power applies across all its solutions within the STELION ecosystem.

Technology on board

BASK-H2BOAT involves the full integration of a hybrid electric–hydrogen propulsion system into a lightweight vessel for recreational and coastal use. The system architecture includes pressurized hydrogen storage in compact cylinders, a fuel cell, DC/DC converter, battery system, marine electric propulsion and an intelligent energy management system (EMS) that optimizes power distribution between the fuel cell and battery in real time.

The project also incorporates an advanced digitalization and monitoring layer that will enable real-time supervision of energy parameters, operating states and propulsion system performance via a mobile application, facilitating energy optimization and operational analysis under real conditions.

Testing will take place on the Oria estuary (Gipuzkoa), an environment conceived as a Living Lab for the experimentation of sustainable maritime mobility solutions.

Aerial view of the Oria estuary in Gipuzkoa, testing site for the BASK-H2BOAT hydrogen boat project

Aerial view of the Oria estuary as it flows through the town of Orio, Gipuzkoa.

What does Hydros Power bring?

Within the consortium, Hydros Power takes responsibility for the hydrogen system: supply of the H2 system, battery and connections, and the technical expertise required to integrate hydrogen technology into the vessel.

This role is directly aligned with the work the company carries out through its STELION ecosystem. This ecosystem already has a product in commercialization, STELION Booster Station, a European-certified compression pump for hydrogen and other gases. In parallel, the company is developing a plug and play connection system for its swappable hydrogen capsules, funded through the European EUREKA Eurostars programme, as well as hybrid fuel cell solutions for logistics and refrigerated transport.

BASK-H2BOAT represents, in a sense, a return to Hydros Power’s origins, one of the company’s earliest proofs of concept was in fact the testing of a small autonomous boat. Now, the maritime sector returns to the roadmap with a larger-scale project and a far more mature technology ecosystem behind it.

One of Hydros Power’s earliest proofs of concept: a small autonomous marine drone powered by hydrogen.

A multidisciplinary consortium

The project brings together five entities with complementary capabilities. Silennis Elec-Boats provides the vessel and its expertise in naval design optimized for electric propulsion. ESEA Propulsion contributes the electric outboard propulsion system and data monitoring. CIFP Blas de Lezo, a vocational training centre specializing in the maritime sector, is responsible for the physical integration of systems and knowledge transfer to the educational field. Oregur Ingeniería participates as a subcontracted entity handling coordination, dimensioning and engineering of the overall system.

The project also has the support of Fundación MUBIL, which participates in dissemination, training and strategy.

A further step in Hydros Power’s vision

For Hydros Power, BASK-H2BOAT is a natural extension of its mission: making hydrogen more accessible, operational and easier to deploy in sectors where batteries do not always offer a complete solution. If STELION Booster Station represents the first certified product to bring hydrogen closer to distributed applications on land, BASK-H2BOAT opens the door to demonstrating its potential at sea.

The project will run over twelve months and its results will contribute to building a scalable technology base for future vessels and new sustainable maritime mobility applications in the Basque Country.