(Friedeburg-Etzel / Germany) – Cavern operator Storag Etzel GmbH and Friesen Elektra Green Energy AG have signed a preliminary agreement for the use of a seawater pipeline system for the planned Friesland hydrogen park in Sande, Lower Saxony. Both surface water and seawater are being considered as long-term resources for operating the electrolysis process.
Rendering of the future Friesland hydrogen park, which will be built at a junction of electricity and hydrogen transmission lines. This will allow renewable energy to be used year-round in northwest Germany. To ensure a consistent supply, the hydrogen will be stored temporarily in salt caverns. © Friesen Elektra Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH
In December 2024, both companies agreed to examine the feasibility of using Storag Etzel's existing seawater and brine pipeline system, which has been in operation since the 1970s. The result: the existing infrastructure is fundamentally suitable for a constant water supply to the electrolyzers, independent of seasonal fluctuations. The plan is to extract the seawater near the Niedersachsenbrücke bridge in Wilhelmshaven and transport it to the hydrogen park for desalination. This agreement provides the basis for gradually integrating the existing infrastructure into future hydrogen production and increasing investment and planning certainty.
Strengthening the Wilhelmshaven hydrogen region
The connection to the hydrogen park strengthens the future "Energy Hub – Port of Wilhelmshaven" as a hydrogen hub in Germany, says Boris Richter, Commercial Director of Storag Etzel. The hydrogen park, once fully developed, will have over 2,4 gigawatts of electrolysis capacity, be built on an area of approximately 72 hectares along the A29 motorway, and will be connected to key industrial regions via the planned core network, such as the chemical industry in the Ruhr area, steel production in Salzgitter, and copper smelters in Hamburg. The park is being built in the immediate vicinity of the cavern storage facilities where Storag Etzel plans to store large quantities of green hydrogen after the scheduled completion of the "H2Cast Etzel" pilot project.
Photo above
Storag Etzel's cavern storage facility: This is also intended to store hydrogen from the Friesland hydrogen park in the future. © Storag Etzel GmbH
