(Wilhelmshaven / Germany) – The energy company Uniper SE has now exclusively commissioned the US electrolyzer manufacturer Electric Hydrogen Co. (EH2) to plan a 200-megawatt electrolysis plant for the "Green Wilhelmshaven" project in northern Germany. EH2 already began initial work in October 2024 as part of a pre-front-end engineering design study (Pre-FEED) for the project.
Electric Hydrogen's 100 MW electrolyzer at a customer in Texas. © Electric Hydrogen
The EH2 plant, based on Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) technology, will source electricity from wind turbines. A complete 100-megawatt electrolyzer system from the company includes all system components required to convert water and electricity into hydrogen, including energy conversion, gas processing, water treatment and thermal management. Each plant can produce nearly 50 tons of green hydrogen per day "at revolutionary low costs," said Raffi Garabedian, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of EH2 in October 2023. The 100 MW electrolyzer plants could be deployed in the European Union from 2, according to EH2026.
electrolysis and ammonia import terminal
The electrolyzers in Wilhelmshaven are to be built on the site of the former Uniper hard coal power plant. In addition to the large-scale production of green hydrogen, the project also includes an import terminal for ammonia in the immediate vicinity of the first LNG terminal in the north of Wilhelmshaven, which is operated by a subsidiary of the group.
Due to the good access to offshore wind farms in the North Sea, the connection to the German hydrogen pipeline system and the planned hydrogen storage facilities in northern Germany, Wilhelmshaven is the ideal location for Uniper's "Green Wilhelmshaven" projects. © Salzgitter AG
"Uniper's hydrogen project in Wilhelmshaven is a cornerstone of our plans to help shape the energy transition," says Susanne Thöle, Director of Hydrogen at Uniper. Both plants would be connected via pipelines to the hydrogen core network and to storage facilities in northern Germany. "Green Wilhelmshaven" is to be built as a central hub for green hydrogen. "Together, the two projects could cover a significant part of Germany's forecast demand for green hydrogen," the company said.
In April of this year, it was announced that the plans for "Green Wilhelmshaven" included expanding the electrolysis to a capacity of one gigawatt, which would enable hydrogen production of 100.000 tons per year. At least 300.000 tons of green ammonia could be imported by ship via the completed terminal, which would be converted into hydrogen and also fed into the German core grid, according to Holger Kreetz, COO of Uniper SE.
Contract signing by Uniper and Salzgitter AG (from left): Sandrina Sieverdingbeck, Managing Director Deutsche Erz- und Metall-Union GmbH, Holger Kreetz, COO Uniper SE, Gunnar Groebler, CEO Salzgitter AG, Christian Stuckmann, Uniper SE VP Business Development Hydrogen © Uniper SE
At that time, Uniper and Salzgitter AG signed a preliminary agreement for the purchase of 20.000 tons of green hydrogen annually from Wilhelmshaven. The steel company intends to use the energy carrier in the direct reduction plant currently under construction in Salzgitter (Lower Saxony) to produce nearly CO2-neutral steel. According to the company, the initial expansion phase will require 150.000 tons annually.
The subject of the preliminary agreement is, among other things, the technical and commercial framework for hydrogen delivery. Depending on the availability of the German H2 core network and a pipeline, Uniper could deliver certified green hydrogen from 2028 at the earliest. A pipeline connection from Wilhelmshaven to Salzgitter is "absolutely necessary," the companies said in the spring.
Handover of the funding notice in July 2022 (from left): Lower Saxony's then Environment Minister and current Minister of Economic Affairs Olaf Lies, Frank Holschumacher (Vice President Operational Performance Uniper Storage) and Johann Westerbuhr (Head of Asset Group North). © Uniper SE / Andreas Burmann
Uniper plans to store hydrogen from Wilhelmshaven in its salt caverns in Krummhörn near Emden in northern Germany, which have not been used commercially since 2017. For the conversion from natural gas to hydrogen storage, declared a pilot project, the company received a grant of €2,37 million from the state of Lower Saxony in July 2022. The storage capacity will be 250.000 cubic meters upon completion. Uniper puts the total investment at €10 million. By the early 2030s, Uniper aims to use more than 80 percent of its installed power plant capacity for CO2-free electricity production.
Financially strong corporations support EH2
Electric Hydrogen was founded in 2020 and, according to its own statements, has received more than $750 million in funding to date. Roughly half of this came from a financing round in October 2023, in which $380 million (€257 million) was raised from globally operating, some well-known, corporations.
Among the backers is "main investor and potential customer" Fortescue Future Industries, part of Australian mining magnate Andrew Forrest's Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. Existing investors - global industry heavyweights such as Amazon's Climate Pledge Fund, Equinor Ventures, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Rio Tinto - continued their participation, as did financial investors Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Capricorn Partners, Prelude Ventures and S2G Ventures. Venture capitalists Fifth Wall (USA) and Energy Impact Partners (USA) are also on board. New investors include BP Ventures, Oman Investment Authority, Temasek, Microsoft's Climate Innovation Fund, United Airlines Sustainable Flight Fund, New Legacy, Kajima Ventures and Fatima Holdings USA.
$100 million credit line from banks
In May of this year, Electric Hydrogen (EH2) also received a $100 million (€93 million) credit line from a consortium of banks. "With the loan security, we are well positioned to deliver gigawatts of electrolysis plants in the coming years and enable our customers to achieve their decarbonization goals," said Derek Warnick, co-founder and Chief Financial Officer of the company.
EH2's Gigafactory near Boston for the production of electrolyzers was inaugurated in April 2024. The factory has an annual production capacity of 1,2 gigawatts. © Electric Hydrogen
EH2 had previously announced support of $65 million from the US Department of Energy and $50 million from US investment firm Trinity Capital to scale its electrolyzer factory in Devens, Massachusetts, near Boston. The Gigafactory's first electrolyzers will be delivered to a project in southeast Texas this year. Electric Hydrogen has offices in California and Massachusetts.
Photo above
Uniper SE wants to expand its site in Wilhelmshaven into a hydrogen hub. © Federal Institute for Waterways Engineering and Research
