(Bayreuth, Dortmund, Hanover, Oldenburg) – Two consortia are merging their two projects “Clean Hydrogen Coastline” and “Element One”. The companies involved intend to develop the coastal region of Lower Saxony into a European hydrogen cluster by 2026. This is “the foundation for a complete value chain with hydrogen production, electricity infrastructure, large-scale hydrogen storage in salt caverns and transport via future hydrogen pipelines based on existing infrastructure,” says one of the suppliers involved, EWE AG. As part of the cooperation agreement that has now been signed, the further steps of cooperation are to be explored and specified.
Build value chain
With “Clean Hydrogen Coastline”, the companies ArcelorMittal Bremen GmbH, EWE AG, FAUN GmbH & Co KG, Gasunie Deutschland GmbH & Co.KG, SWB AG and Tennet TSO GmbH in northwest Germany want to integrate hydrogen technology across all stages of the value chain through different sub-projects Integrate energy system. 
The Federal Ministry of Economics has qualified “Clean Hydrogen Coastline” for the second stage of the IPCEI process, in which selected projects are to be combined with other European project ideas. The IPCEI (“Important Projects of Common European Interest”) is a transnational project of common European interest that is intended to contribute to the growth, employment and competitiveness of European industry and economy through state funding.
Gasunie Deutschland, Tennet and Thyssengas GmbH are involved in “Element Eins”. Since October 2018, they have been pursuing the concept of building an industrial power-to-gas plant in the 100 megawatt class to produce hydrogen using green electricity. As part of a feasibility study, East Frisia (Diele, Leer district) has already been named as a suitable location for the electrolyzer.
Integrate hydrogen in a targeted manner
Due to its location and the economic and infrastructural conditions, the north-west of Germany offers the best conditions “for the targeted integration of hydrogen technology into the energy system”. In particular, the consortia see the electricity infrastructure for generating and the gas infrastructure for transporting and storing hydrogen as “elementary for the successful market entry” of green hydrogen.
For the production of hydrogen, high electricity generation capacities are available from wind power in the onshore and offshore sectors, for example at the Emden and Diele grid nodes. There is also a sales market for green hydrogen with the industrial sites in Lower Saxony, Bremen, Hamburg and North Rhine-Westphalia. Existing cross-border infrastructure for the storage and transport of green hydrogen - in particular the connection to the Netherlands and Denmark - also enables the connection of key European locations for production and use.
deep link
https://www.ewe.com/de/presse/pressemitteilungen/2021/11/clean-hydrogen-coastline-und-element-eins-gehen-gemeinsam-mit-grnem-wasserstoff-richtung-klimaneutra
https://www.bmwi.de/Redaktion/DE/Artikel/Energie/ipcei-wasserstoff.html
Class schedule
Around 400 megawatts of electrolysis capacity is to be built by 2026 in the “Clean Hydrogen Coastline” project in the northwest region. © EWE
