EWE begins construction at Emden generation plant

The plant will be one of the first electrolysers in Germany built on a market-relevant scale. The first green hydrogen is scheduled to be produced in Emden and delivered to industrial customers starting at the end of 2027.

“With the start of construction, we are taking a decisive step from planning to implementation,” said Stefan Dohler, CEO of EWE AG. “With the three companies commissioned, we are relying on experienced experts in civil engineering and structural engineering who will drive the project forward reliably and with a high level of technical expertise.

This provides us with the foundation and sufficient planning certainty to begin actively marketing green hydrogen. We are thus sending a strong signal for the industrial market ramp-up.” The plant in Emden is part of a comprehensive system-supporting concept encompassing production, storage, and transport – including a large scale hydrogen storage facility in Huntorf and a pipeline corridor between Wilhelmshaven, Leer, and Emden, as part of the nationwide core hydrogen network.

Politics must solidify the hydrogen course

With regard to EWE's hydrogen activities, Stefan Dohler also refers to the Federal Court of Auditors' recent report on the hydrogen strategy.

"From our perspective, the report confirms that the market ramp-up must be significantly accelerated and made more economical. For hydrogen to play a key role in climate protection and competitiveness, we need reliable and practical framework conditions. The ramp-up will only succeed if regulation and support are further developed in a targeted manner," stated Dohler. EWE is calling, among other things, for a reform of the RFNBO regulations so that electrolysers can be operated more flexibly and cost-effectively, competitive electricity prices for electrolysers, grid-friendly location advantages, and reliable demand incentives, such as quotas for green industrial products.

About the Clean Hydrogen Coastline project: An overview of the sub-projects

• In sub-project 1, 'Clean Hydrogen Coastline – Electrolysis East Frisia,' EWE is building a 320-MW hydrogen production plant in Emden, East Frisia. This will be the first electrolyser of a market-relevant scale for future hydrogen value creation. EWE plans to produce hydrogen from renewable energy sources in a grid-supporting manner within two years.
• In sub-project 2, 'Clean Hydrogen Coastline – Huntorf Storage,' EWE is connecting the hydrogen infrastructure to its cavern storage facility in Huntorf. For this purpose, one of seven large underground caverns currently used for natural gas storage is being converted to store hydrogen. This will make the green gas available when needed. Large scale hydrogen storage thus also improves security of supply for hydrogen users. EWE has already demonstrated, as part of a research project at its gas storage site in Rüdersdorf near Berlin, that hydrogen can be stored in salt caverns and extracted again with high purity.
• Sub-project 3, 'Clean Hydrogen Coastline – H2 Pipeline Infrastructure Northwest,' aims to optimise the gas infrastructure for hydrogen in Northwest Germany. Through the construction and conversion of several pipeline sections, EWE is establishing a connection to the future Europe-wide hydrogen transport network. This connection links hydrogen production facilities, hydrogen storage, and users via the German core hydrogen network and the so-called European Hydrogen Backbone.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalhydrogenreview.com/hydrogen/01122025/ewe-begins-construction-at-emden-generation-plant/