Companies in northwest Germany are planning to link up their hydrogen projects to transport hydrogen to industrial consumption centres in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony.
The project involves bp, Gasunie, Nowega, NWO, Salzgitter, Thyssengas, and Uniper, who plan to build hydrogen pipelines to transport hydrogen between Wilhelmshaven and the Cologne chemical region and a west-east corridor extending between Wilhelmshaven and Salzgitter.
The companies have signed a letter of intent and plan to support Germany’s goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2045. The project also aims to contribute to the development of an integrated hydrogen network that will reach potential H2 consumers along the route. The plan is to map the entire H2 value chain, where roles are distributed among the companies involved.
While bp and Uniper plan to build an ammonia import terminal at the Wilhelmshaven site and break down the imported ammonia into hydrogen and nitrogen, Gasunie and Thyssengas have announced their plans for an H2 north-south corridor between Wilhelmshaven and the Cologne chemical region. Nowega and NWO will convert existing pipelines to contribute to the hydrogen network.
The project aims to integrate the planning of hydrogen projects to support Germany’s goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2045. The German government has set ambitious goals to reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions to 55% of its 1990 levels by 2030, and 65% by 2040, and become climate-neutral by 2045. In addition, the German government’s National Hydrogen Strategy plans to install up to 5 GW of hydrogen electrolysis capacity in Germany by 2030 and 10 GW by 2040. The hydrogen infrastructure is an essential part of the strategy.
The companies are participating in the alliance with various hydrogen projects, including plans to build an ammonia import terminal, an electrolysis plant, and hydrogen pipelines. The roles are distributed among the companies involved, with some acting as industrial producers and consumers of hydrogen, while others are contributing to existing transport pipelines and plans for new H2 pipelines to be built.
In detail, bp and Uniper both plan to build an ammonia import terminal at the Wilhelmshaven site. The imported ammonia supplied is then to be broken down into hydrogen and nitrogen on-site, thereby recovering the green hydrogen bound in the ammonia. Uniper is also planning to build a large-scale electrolysis plant in Wilhelmshaven, which will produce green hydrogen harnessing offshore wind power from the North Sea. Both bp and Uniper have submitted their projects to the European Commission as Projects of Mutual Interest (PMI) and Projects of Common Interest (PCI), respectively.
Gasunie and Thyssengas have announced their plans for an H2 north-south corridor between Wilhelmshaven and the Cologne chemical region. The transport link, approximately 400 kilometres long, will be put in place by 2028 by converting existing transport pipelines and building new ones. Both Gasunie and Thyssengas have submitted Projects of Common Interest (PCI) applications to the European Commission for their respective sub-sections.
The planned north-south corridor will make a significant contribution to the development of an integrated hydrogen network, which will reach both the bp refineries in the Emsland and Ruhr regions and many other potential H2 consumers along the route. In addition, Gasunie and Nowega are responsible for building the necessary west-east corridor to connect the partner and hydrogen consumer Salzgitter.
Nowega and NWO are also contributing parts of their existing pipeline network to the alliance, significantly reducing the need for new construction while enabling large-scale accessibility of additional feeders and out feeders.
