German wind groups and unions want fast H2 production at sea

Seven German wind, renewables, and hydrogen organizations teamed up with IG Metall to seek a faster ramp-up of green H2 production at sea, hydrogen tenders next year, and dedicated North Sea hydrogen pipelines.

Northern German organisations united as ‘Offshore-Wind-H2-Achter’ in a six-step request for a’sprinter program’ for offshore-wind-to-hydrogen to avoid Germany missing worldwide developments.

Hydrogen generation at sea in Germany’s EEZ offers enormous prospects for expanding electrolysis capacity for the national and European hydrogen plan and for offshore wind energy growth, the eight groups stated in a joint study.

Cross-border cooperation is essential for a green hydrogen economy, the groups said.

Jan Rispens, general director of the Hamburg Renewable Energy Cluster, said Germany will need to buy green hydrogen but should develop export-ready solutions in the field.

Green hydrogen may be produced more cheaply in Saudi Arabia or Australia, but infrastructure like pipelines, ports, terminals, or shipping must be considered.

“Many studies that account for these costs reveal that the gap between domestically produced hydrogen and imported H2 is no longer so great,” said Rispens.

“The price difference is insignificant.”