Hydrogen is a huge opportunity, says Martin Wichterle

Gearbox manufacturer Wikov has long been regarded as a driving force behind the development of green energy in the Czech Republic. Its owner, Martin Wichterle, is one of the few Czech entrepreneurs to have capitalised on the global boom in renewable energy sources by manufacturing and exporting their components – specifically, gearboxes for wind turbines. Due to the global consolidation of wind power manufacturing, these gearboxes are no longer the hit they once were. “Hydrogen is now a huge opportunity,” Martin Wichterle told Export.cz in an interview.

The wind has not stopped blowing

While high-speed gearboxes are booming, the wind power sector has changed considerably in recent years. But that does not mean Wikov has stopped paying attention to it. Martin Wichterle acknowledges that gearboxes for wind turbines are now a very limited market. As he explains, there are essentially only three major wind turbine manufacturers left in the world, which either make their own gearboxes or contract suppliers that churn out thousands of them a year.

If Wikov theoretically wanted to join them, it would have to invest tens of billions of Czech crowns in new production capacity. It will be more efficient to focus on more promising segments, which need not be far removed from wind turbines at all. “We export gearboxes to offshore platforms used specifically to build wind farms,” adds the prominent Czech entrepreneur.

The energy crisis conundrum

Energy remains a promising sector of the future for Wikov, but Martin Wichterle and his colleagues are now primarily grappling with the current energy crisis. Particularly high gas prices are making life difficult for the glassmaking arm of his business “empire” – the companies Bomma and Rückl, for which this commodity is a key input. Further increases in electricity and gas prices threaten the entire Czech industry, whose interests Martin Wichterle also defends as a member of the board of the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic.

“The worst thing is the unpredictability of what actually lies ahead. It is difficult to plan anything or prepare for anything,” says the entrepreneur, who is thinking about both pillars of his business – engineering and glassmaking. While some glassmakers are considering switching from gas to electricity, Martin Wichterle does not see this as a saving solution for the near future: “You cannot do entirely without gas in glassmaking. And electricity is also crazily expensive.” Its price is moreover influenced by expensive gas.

The Bomma and Rückl glassworks are working with various scenarios for the coming months depending on how energy prices develop. One possibility is that Wichterle’s companies could also begin manufacturing abroad: “For now, this is only a theoretical consideration. We have calculated various options and are trying to prepare for different possible developments.”

Gas will be “sorted out” next year

According to Martin Wichterle, calculations of various risks show that the Czech Republic is in the worst position of all neighbouring countries. Compared with its neighbours, it faces the greatest threat that there may be no gas here at all. The situation is similar in terms of energy prices. But the grandson of the famous inventor immediately shows that a sceptical view of the world is not particularly natural to him. He assumes that Europeans will manage to find ways to bring more gas here next year: “Gas will no longer be as cheap as it was, but over time it will nevertheless become significantly cheaper. Its price is now completely beyond market levels. Once the necessary infrastructure, including liquefied natural gas terminals, is built, prices will logically fall to a lower level.”

This is also why Martin Wichterle does not expect the Bomma and Rückl glassworks to change their technologies quickly. Moving away from gas is not necessary because “gas will be sorted out next year”. Converting the technologies to electricity would require major investment and take at least three-quarters of a year. According to the Czech entrepreneur, calculations concerning the carbon footprint also support this reasoning. “At present, you can reduce carbon emissions better with gas than with electricity. You can take certain measures to offset the carbon generated by gas, and that is much easier than in the case of electricity,” stresses the owner of the glassworks in Světlá nad Sázavou and Nižbor.

And where will Europe import gas from? Martin Wichterle does not consider it realistic that it could eventually come from Russia again. According to him, Europeans will take gas from there for as long as necessary. But once they switch to non-Russian gas, they will not return to the past. Europe is able to supply itself from other sources. It will not go through the ordeal of Russian supplies again.