The Norwegian energy company Statkraft is advancing its hydrogen plans in Germany. In Emden, the company wants to build a 10 MW pilot plant and a 200 MW large-scale plant. For this, the energy company has received EU funding in the "significant triple-digit million euro" range. They come from the EU Innovation Fund, which is intended to support technologies for greenhouse gas reduction in Europe.
The start of the hydrogen project is a 10 MW electrolyzer at the Emden site, for which the final investment decision is to be made this year. With the pilot plant, Statkraft wants to gain experience with regulation and operation in order to be prepared for the second expansion stage. According to the company, the produced hydrogen is sold to hydrogen filling stations in the region.
The second step involves the construction of a 200 MW electrolyzer plant at the same site. It is intended to produce up to 20,000 tons of green hydrogen per year, which is to be delivered to industrial customers nationwide via the recently approved hydrogen core network. The company has already signed letters of intent with potential customers. The group is using the widespread strategy of drawing on existing infrastructure and the know-how of its employees for the green hydrogen plans.
EU Funding Supports Hydrogen Plans in Germany
Helge-Jürgen Beil, Vice President Hydrogen Germany at Statkraft, emphasized that the Emden projects are only "the first chapter" of the "ambitious hydrogen plans in Germany". He also stressed the need for funding from the EU Innovation Fund.
"We want to be an important player in the German hydrogen market and are very pleased that we can expect funding from the EU for this important project for us."
Use of Waste Heat for District Heating
A special feature of the project is the integration of a 50 MW heat pump system. It is intended to efficiently utilize the waste heat generated during electrolysis and thus provide up to 50,000 MWh of green district heating for the local network per year. The company can draw on valuable experience here, as it already supplies industrial customers in Emden with district heating from a local biomass plant.
Thanks to the company's own portfolio of renewable energy plants in Germany, Statkraft sees itself well positioned to ensure high utilization of the electrolyzer. The generated hydrogen can then be produced continuously in a green manner. However, the necessary criteria from Berlin and Brussels are still lacking. Perspectively, however, the Statkraft site in Emden is to become an important hub in the German hydrogen economy.
The Oslo-based energy group - founded by the Norwegian state in 1895 - is not the only H2 player in Emden. The energy supplier EWE from Oldenburg is also planning to build a large electrolyzer. For the project, it had received the IPCEI notification from the EU during the course of the year and the funding notices from the federal government and the state of Lower Saxony in July. It then made the final investment decision in July.
