The Hydrogen Stream: Germany grants €4.6 billion to 23 green H2 projects

The German government has granted €4.6 billion ($5 billion) for 23 green hydrogen projects, while BP has revealed separate plans to develop a 100 MW green hydrogen installation in Germany.

July 16, 2024 Sergio Matalucci

German Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck

Image: BMWK, Bundesfoto, Czyibik

The German government said it has granted funding decisions for 23 hydrogen projects, following EU approval. These projects are part of the third Hy2Infra wave of the IPCEI Hydrogen (Important Projects of Common European Interest) program, which the EU Commission approved in February 2024. The funded projects cover the entire hydrogen value chain, including up to 1.4 GW of hydrogen production capacity powered by renewable energy and transporting up to 1,800 tons of hydrogen per year, using liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHC). The country also aims to support up to 370 GWh storage solutions and 2000 km of hydrogen infrastructure. “A particular focus here is on the interaction of individual projects,” said the German government. “For example, several projects form clusters of pipeline, storage, and generation infrastructure across federal states with connections to industrial customers in energy-intensive sectors such as the steel and chemical industries.”

RWE said that it will secure up to €619 million for two large-scale hydrogen projects in Germany. “The funds will be provided for the construction of a 300 MW electrolyzer to generate green hydrogen in Lingen (Lower Saxony) as part of the GET H2 Nukleus project as well as a hydrogen facility in Gronau-Epe (North Rhine-Westphalia),” said RWE. The German energy company is also a member of a consortium developing a 100 MW electrolyzer plant at the port of Rostock (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) as part of the HyTechHafen Rostock project.

Hamburger Energiewerke and its project partner, Luxcara, will secure funding for the Hamburg Green Hydrogen Hub (HGHH) project. “Together, they are building a 100 MW electrolyzer for green hydrogen on the site of the former Moorburg coal-fired power plant,” said the German government in an emailed press release. The municipal network operator, Gasnetz Hamburg, is receiving funding to construct the first 40 km of the HH-WIN hydrogen distribution network. The federal government and the city of Hamburg are providing more than €250 million for the projects.

BP will secure funds from the German federal government and the Lower-Saxony state government to develop a 100 MW green hydrogen project next to its Lingen Refinery. “The project aims to install a 100 MW electrolyzer capable of producing an average of 10-11kt of green hydrogen per year,” said the oil and gas company. “The renewable power needed for the electrolyser is expected to initially be supplied by an offshore wind power purchase agreement.” Separately, BP Aberdeen Hydrogen Energy also said that it has agreed on a final investment decision for its Aberdeen Hydrogen Hub project in Scotland and plans to start construction by the end of 2024.

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