The signals for the establishment of the national hydrogen center in the Chemnitz Technopark are “green”. The Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport Affairs (BMDV) and the Saxon Ministry of Economic Affairs (SMWA) signed the necessary administrative agreement in Chemnitz on August 29. The federal government is supporting the “Hydrogen Innovation Center” (HIC) project with 72.5 million euros. The Free State of Saxony is co-financing the development phase of the HIC until 2028 with around 15 million euros.
The HIC in Chemnitz is the location of the national Innovation and Technology Center for Hydrogen (ITZ), which was already successful in the BMDV's federal competition in 2021. The HIC was developed by the national hydrogen technology cluster HZwo e.V., which brings together the expertise of 150 companies and research institutions across Germany.
Daniela Kluckert, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Digital and Transport Affairs: “The Hydrogen Innovation Center in Chemnitz will be a high-tech facility that will support various areas of industrial value creation for mobility with hydrogen. Development, testing and inspection opportunities are to be created in particular for small and medium-sized companies and the supplier industry, which have hardly been available on the market to date. With the signed administrative agreement, we are sealing the willingness of the federal government and the Free State of Saxony to jointly drive the HIC forward so that the approval process can be completed in the short term and implementation can begin.”
Saxony's Minister of Economic Affairs Martin Dulig: “I am pleased that the HIC is finally picking up speed. The administrative agreement with the federal government gives the project partners planning security. A world-class national center is now being created in the industrial heart of Saxony, which will develop innovative solutions for the sustainable mobility of tomorrow and thus enrich Saxony's excellent research landscape. We urgently need the know-how of the bright minds from Chemnitz to decarbonize heavy goods transport so that hydrogen trucks, buses and commercial vehicles can also shape the road landscape in the future.”
Karl Lötsch, Managing Director of the HIC Hydrogen Innovation Center and the HZwo Hydrogen Technology Cluster: “Hydrogen is a pillar of the energy system of the future and the competition for international leadership in the required hydrogen technologies has long since begun. As the national hydrogen technology cluster HZwo e.V., we have been designing the HIC together with our members since 2020. It is an urgently needed development and test environment for the hydrogen technologies of the future and will be unique in Europe. I am very pleased that we are now the first location of the national hydrogen ITC to have secured funding from the federal and state governments. In order to start implementation, approval must now be a top priority on all sides.”
Significance for Saxony, Germany and Europe
With the construction of the Hydrogen Innovation Center (HIC), a development and test environment for hydrogen technologies that is unique in Europe will be established in the region, combining the expertise of the region and the cluster under the umbrella of HZwo e.V.. Chemnitz will be home to the most modern hydrogen center with test benches, hydrogen training laboratories and workshops, a start-up center and laboratories for industrial customers who rely on hydrogen. Small and medium-sized enterprises, automotive suppliers and industrial companies will have the opportunity to test and certify their innovations, train employees and develop new standards for the global market at the HIC.
Next steps
In the coming weeks, the focus will be on the prompt approval of the necessary funds by the Federal Ministry of Transport so that the official start of the project can be initiated. The aim is then to complete the construction planning and obtain planning permission so that the foundation stone can be laid as soon as possible. Commissioning of the first construction phase is scheduled for 2026. In the further course of the project, the focus will be on completing the remaining construction work smoothly so that the project can be completed in 2029.