Germany's EWE and Austria's VERBUND Jointly Build a 500 MW Green Hydrogen Project

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 9, German energy company EWE and Austrian energy company VERBUND announced a collaboration to develop the JadeWeser green hydrogen project in Germany, with plans to build up to 500 MW of water electrolysis hydrogen production facilities, expected to produce approximately 50,000 tons of green hydrogen annually. The project is located in Nordenham, Lower Saxony, Germany, and is planned to be implemented through an independent project company, with the aim of supplying green hydrogen to industrial, transportation, and energy sector users starting from 2032.

This collaboration is jointly advanced by EWE Hydrogen GmbH, a subsidiary of EWE, and VERBUND Green Hydrogen GmbH, a subsidiary of VERBUND. The two parties will carry out joint development in water electrolysis hydrogen production, hydrogen storage, transmission network connection, and downstream sales, with the project undertaken by a planned independent company. The two companies currently have approximately 400 MW of hydrogen energy projects in total under construction or in operation.

The JadeWeser project has secured long-term industrial land in southern Nordenham, with a 380 kV grid connection point nearby, and the power infrastructure is capable of further expansion to gigawatt scale. The project site already has industrial infrastructure and water supply conditions, and the German hydrogen core pipeline network is planned for construction in the surrounding area, which can provide power connection and hydrogen transmission conditions for future hydrogen production facilities.

The project also plans to connect to nearby underground salt cavern hydrogen storage facilities and supply hydrogen to industrial customers through the German hydrogen core pipeline network. The development plan integrates water electrolysis hydrogen production, underground hydrogen storage, and pipeline transmission into the same infrastructure layout, and future consideration is also given to utilizing European cross-border hydrogen transportation corridors for supply.

The two parties are currently advancing project development and have listed electricity procurement costs, EU rules on renewable fuels of non-biological origin, transmission grid fees, and industrial users' hydrogen purchase costs as conditions to be considered in subsequent investment arrangements.