The Hamburg Hydrogen Network has today (26th April) launched to link hydrogen production, distribution and utilisation across a range of applications in the country – and it’s already submitted an application to the EU-wide Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) funding programme to support such goals.
The companies behind such effort are Airbus, ArcelorMittal, Gasnetz Hamburg, GreenPlug, Hamburger Hafen und Logistik, Hamburg Port Authority, HADAG Seetouristik und Fährdienst and Stadtreinigung Hamburg, which have also teamed up with those behind the Hamburg Green Hydrogen Hub –Shell, Vattenfall, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Wärme Hamburg.
By formalising the consortium and working together, the group hopes to reduce Hamburg’s current 16 million tonnes of CO2 emissions by more than one million tonnes annually by 2030 through local electrolysis, sea-side imports and connection to the emerging European hydrogen network.
Today’s announcement follows on from plans announced earlier this year for one of the largest electrolyser plants in Europe that will produce green hydrogen from wind and solar power. Anticipated to start producing its first green hydrogen in 2025, the 100MW scalable electrolyser will be built at the Hamburg-Moorburg power plant site in Hamburg, Germany.
At the time, project partners Shell, Vattenfall, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Wärme Hamburg said they had hoped for further development of a green energy hub.
Hydrogen produced by the Hamburg Green Hydrogen Hub primarily would replace fossil fuels in industrial production as well as in the transport and logistics sector. The additional utilisation of the waste heat from the electrolysis for the district heating network and the thermal treatment of municipal waste would reduce the environmental footprint of a variety of industries even further.
In addition to the electrolysis plant, the Hamburg Hydrogen Network hopes to produce a variety of positive spillover effects throughout Germany and across Europe – Hamburg is already closely linked to other activities among Germany’s northern neighbours.
According to the network, international cross-border collaboration will be pivotal to the creation of a viable European hydrogen economy that includes renewable energy and hydrogen production facilities, integrated infrastructure and distribution as well as a variety of demand generators from heavy industries to road, rail, water and air transport.
Having already submitted an application for IPCEI, the group hopes to receive financial support to implement the landmark interconnection project and close the price gap between green hydrogen and fossil solutions.
The IPCEI Hydrogen aims to contribute to the market development of hydrogen technologies and systems throughout the hydrogen value chain, taking into account the objectives at EU level.
“If the project is successful, we see the potential to apply the experience from Hamburg widely at our other German and numerous European sites in order to make a significant contribution to the decarbonisation of European logistics,” said Lars Neumann, Director Logistics, Strategy and Business Development, Hamburg Hafen und Logistik AG.
“Hydrogen fuel tank infrastructure in the Hamburg harbour area allows emission-free traffic in the heavily used harbour area and is an essential step towards decarbonisation,” added Jens Meier, CEO of the Hamburg Port Authority.
Dr. Uwe Braun, CEO ArcelorMittal Hamburg, added, “In order to ensure the supply of green hydrogen, we rely on the local hydrogen industry network and a significant proportion of hydrogen from the Hamburg Green Hydrogen Hub.”
