Germany wants to import large quantities of green hydrogen from Australia using tankers.
This was announced by the Australian energy company Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) and the German energy company Eon at a press conference in Berlin. Eon is the German parent company of the Dutch company Essent.
In the long run, hydrogen, generated with solar and wind energy, should replace fossil fuels. It should also reduce European countries’ dependence on Russian fuels, something the Netherlands and Germany have wanted to achieve as soon as possible since the war in Ukraine.
Still, it will be some time before hydrogen flows through the pipelines in Germany and the Netherlands. The companies think they will be able to deliver the first tons in 2024 at the earliest. Step by step, this must then be expanded to 5 million tons of hydrogen by 2030.
According to the companies, that is equivalent to roughly one-third of the amount of energy that Germany now imports from Russia in fuel. That is not to say that everything will go to Germany; the intention is that the Netherlands and other countries will also buy the hydrogen. What part will go to the Netherlands, and how transport and distribution will go, is not yet certain. The companies are still investigating this.
The German and Australian governments also support the plan. The German Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Australian ambassador to Germany say they are pleased with the plan.
