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Eight companies and institutions are developing a cross-sectoral development plan for hydrogen infrastructure and production.
The aim is for the region to drive forward the green transformation faster, more connectedly and more sustainably.
E.ON, Evonik, RWE, thyssenkrupp and Vonovia have joined forces with the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion, the RWI – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research and the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach-Foundation to accelerate the green transformation on the Rhine and Ruhr. A cross-sectoral future plan for a model hydrogen region is to be developed in a joint project. The aim is to connect pioneering solutions from industry, the energy sector, mobility and housing in order to make the Ruhr a pioneering region for a successful energy transformation.
Our aim: The Ruhr region is to become the industrial, residential and living area with CO2-free hydrogen in Germany and thus set standards for a hydrogen economy in industrial conurbations. The project is intended to lay the groundwork for the necessary planning for infrastructure and production.
Our task: The transformation of one of Germany’s largest industrial core regions such as the Ruhr, home to 6.2 percent of the country’s population, is a considerable challenge. It requires determining the cross-sectoral hydrogen demand, measuring the expansion of renewable energies or alternative hydrogen imports required for this purpose, and identifying the necessary transport infrastructure. The data collected will be used to create a roadmap that can be used to optimally align coordinated infrastructure investments with private sector investment cycles. Such a roadmap is a prerequisite for creating planning security for all parties involved and for making the region an attractive investment location. No other German region has a better starting position to solve this task: With unique connections across all sectors, synergies in generation, storage, distribution and consumption can be leveraged in the Ruhr region. The conditions for developing a comprehensive hydrogen infrastructure are ideal.
Our aspiration: We want the Ruhr region to become a leading model hydrogen region – with a holistic, cross-sectoral development plan for hydrogen production and infrastructure. The project aims to map out the transformation in concrete terms and launch pilot projects that will provide at least 50 percent of the hydrogen required in the region with low greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. As a result, the project is expected to contribute significantly and rapidly to the reduction of CO2 emissions in the Ruhr region, while maintaining it as an efficient industrial region.
Our partners: Integrated planning that can make the Ruhr a pioneer of the hydrogen economy needs scientific expertise and committed companies with the will to shape and transform. However, it also needs political support from the federal and state governments in order to lay the foundations for an accelerated green transformation of the Ruhr region as a unique ecosystem/network.
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