Posted on August 8, 2022
Gasnetz Hamburg is set to expand the Hamburg Hydrogen Industry Network (HH-WIN) from 2023 after the German Ministry of Economics approved Thursday (August 3, 2022) the “earlier start of measures”. That will allow the Hamburg Green Hydrogen Hub electrolyser, which is under construction in Moorburg, to supply large-scale industrial consumers from 2026.
HH-WIN meeting with great industrial approval
The network is to be expanded to 60 kilometres instead of the original 40. Plans are being laid to connect around 12 hydrogen projects later. Some have applied for funding under the auspices of the Hydrogen Network Hamburg as part of the European “Important Projects of Common European Interest” (IPCEI) scheme. Gasnetz Hamburg expects to receive a decision on funding and the precise amount by late 2022.
Hydrogen – energy supplier of the future
“We will launch the fossil-free conversion of more than a third of Hamburg’s natural gas consumption via HH-WIN. Given the current situation, we must keep an eye on the triad of security of supply, sustainability and affordability of energy supply and free ourselves from dependence on fossil fuels as quickly as possible,” said Jens Kerstan, Senator for the Environment. The introduction of HH-WIN means Gasnetz Hamburg will be making a significant contribution to a climate-neutral economy as it will supply the largest consumers of natural gas in the city, he added.
Path to hydrogen
The long-term goal is to replace one-third of Hamburg’s natural gas consumption with climate-neutral hydrogen from 2030 and to cut CO2 emissions by 1.3 million tons per annum. The approval by the German Ministry of Economics and the EU funding will allow Hamburg to progress quickly towards a hydrogen sector.
