Shell, MHI, Vattenhall, Wärme plan 100MW hydrogen in Hamburg; to develop “green energy hub”
The companies British-Dutch oil and gas company, Shell; Japanese engineering and electrical company, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI); the Swedish power company, Vattenfall; and German municipal company Wärme Hamburg, are jointly producing hydrogen from wind and solar power at the Hamburg-Moorburg power plant site and utilize it in its vicinity. The four companies signed a letter of intent for said project.
In addition to the construction of a scalable electrolyzer with an initial output of 100 MW, the further development of the site into a so-called “Green Energy Hub” is planned. This includes using the existing infrastructure of the Moorburg location for the production of energy from renewable sources. Concepts for the necessary logistics chains and storage options for hydrogen will also be considered.
The production of green hydrogen is anticipated to commence by 2025, making the electrolyzer one of the largest plants in Europe.
The partners intend to apply for funding under the EU program “Important Projects of Common European Interest” (IPCEI), expectedly in the first quarter of 2021, with the submission of a first outline of the project.
The four partner companies view the energy location as having ideal conditions for further use. It is connected to both the national 380,000-volt transmission network and the 110,000-volt network of the City of Hamburg. In addition, overseas ships can call at the location directly and use the quay and port facilities as an import terminal. The municipal gas network company also intends to expand a hydrogen network in the port within ten years and is already working on the necessary distribution infrastructure. Numerous potential customers for green hydrogen are located near the site, thus enabling the project to cover the entire hydrogen value chain – from generation to storage, transport, and utilization in various sectors.
With these prerequisites, the Moorburg location is optimal for the German federal state of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and Northern Germany and can become a potential starting point for the development of a hydrogen economy.
