(Oldenburg, Germany) – Energy company EWE AG has begun construction of a 320-megawatt electrolyzer in Emden. This plant is scheduled to deliver the first green hydrogen to industrial customers by the end of 2027. A joint venture of the construction companies Ludwig Freytag, Gebrüder Neumann, and MBN is responsible for the building construction and civil engineering work. The awarding of the contract marks the start of the concrete implementation of "one of the largest hydrogen projects in Europe to date," according to the company.
Construction site in November: This is where the 320 MW hydrogen plant will eventually stand. © EWE AG / Jan Lübkemann
The project is part of a comprehensive concept encompassing generation, storage, and transport, says EWE board member Stefan Dohler. A report by the Federal Court of Auditors on the government's hydrogen strategy confirms "that the market ramp-up must be significantly accelerated and made more economical." For hydrogen to play a key role in climate protection and competitiveness, "we need reliable and practical framework conditions," Dohler continues. EWE is calling for, among other things, a reform of the RFNBO regulations to enable more flexible and cost-efficient operation of electrolyzers, competitive electricity prices for electrolyzers, grid-friendly location advantages, and reliable demand incentives, such as quotas for green industrial products.
As previously reported , the Federal Court of Auditors recently concluded that, at the current pace, key projects enshrined in the National Hydrogen Strategy 2023 would "very likely" be missed by 2030. The legally mandated goal of a secure, affordable, environmentally friendly, and climate-neutral hydrogen supply remains "a long way off." The Federal Government must subject its approach to a "reality check."
In sub-project 2, EWE is connecting the hydrogen infrastructure to its cavern storage facility in Huntdorf. EWE had already tested the storage and extraction of hydrogen in salt caverns at its gas storage site in Rüdersdorf near Berlin. © EWE AG
The EWE project in Emden is part of the EU-funded "Clean Hydrogen Coastline" project. The hydrogen production plant will create a market-relevant-scale electrolyzer for future hydrogen value creation. In sub-project 2, EWE will then connect the hydrogen infrastructure to its cavern storage facility in Huntdorf. For this purpose, one of seven large underground caverns currently used for natural gas storage will be converted. This will improve security of supply for hydrogen users. EWE has already demonstrated, as part of a research project at its gas storage site in Rüdersdorf near Berlin, that hydrogen can be stored in salt caverns and extracted again with high purity.
Another sub-project, number 3, aims to optimize the gas infrastructure for hydrogen in northwestern Germany. Through the construction and conversion of several pipeline sections – a planned axis between Wilhelmshaven, Leer, and Emden – EWE will establish a connection to the future Europe-wide hydrogen transport network. This will create a link between hydrogen production plants, hydrogen storage facilities, and users via the German core hydrogen network and the "European Hydrogen Backbone."
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Rendering of the future facilities in Emden: EWE plans to produce green hydrogen here from 2027. © EWE AG
