On 15 February, the EU Commission announced that Gasnetz Hamburg's planned hydrogen industrial network HH-WIN has been added to the list of approved H2 projects. The municipal network operator will now receive funding for the construction of the first 40 km of the climate-neutral HH-WIN gas network.
Jens Kerstan, Senator for the Environment, Climate, Energy and Agriculture: "I am delighted that the EU Commission has approved two important hydrogen projects in Hamburg: The realisation of an initial 100 MW large-scale electrolyser on the site of the former Moorburg power plant by the HGHH consortium and the expansion of the Hamburg hydrogen network HH-WIN. Both projects once again demonstrate the important and major role that public energy companies in our city play in the energy transition.
Green hydrogen is an important building block for us to break our dependence on fossil fuels as quickly as possible, achieve our climate targets and make our city and country fit for the future. Back in summer 2022, the Senate decided to co-finance the IPCEI projects in Hamburg to the tune of 223 mio. euros. With the final state aid approval from the EU Commission, we are now taking another important step forward. With these projects, we are laying the foundations for the rapid decarbonisation of industrial production processes and securing jobs in the process. For industry in particular, but also for parts of the transport sector, green hydrogen is a key energy source for reducing CO2. In many areas of industrial production, it is even the only way to decarbonise. Now we have to wait for the funding decisions from the federal government, then we can get started."
Michael Dammann, Technical Managing Director of Gasnetz Hamburg, adds: "This major infrastructure project can only be financed at this early stage with appropriate funding. The EU's decision could therefore literally be our 'seed capital' for the decarbonisation of the energy-intensive industry."
HH-WIN is now clearly picking up speed following the EU Commission's decision: The tender for the first sections of the pipeline construction is planned for spring, with construction starting in summer 2024.
"The approval of our project by the EU Commission underlines the great importance of HH-WIN for European H2 value creation", adds Michael Dammann. "Funding would ensure a rapid entry into the hydrogen economy in Hamburg as a business location."
Once the first 40 km of the hydrogen network have been completed, Hamburg's industry is expected to save at least 650,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
(Quelle: Gasnetz HH)