Shell, Mitsubishi, Vattenfall and Wärme Hamburg are planning how they can jointly produce renewable hydrogen at the Hamburg-Moorburg power plant site. To this end, the four companies have now signed a letter of intent to build a scalable one hundred megawatt elektrolyser.
The companies are planning the construction of a scalable electrolyser with an initial output of one hundred megawatts. In addition, the further development of the site into a so-called Green Energy Hub is planned. This includes the exploration of using the existing infrastructure of the Moorburg location for the production of renewable energy. In this context, concepts for the necessary logistics chains and storage options for hydrogen will also be considered.
Once the site has been cleared, the production of green hydrogen is anticipated in the course of 2025. The electrolyser will be one of the largest plants in Europe.
Ideal location
The partners intend to apply for funding under the EU program: Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI). This should take place in the first quarter of 2021.
The four partner companies view the energy location as having ideal conditions for further use. It is connected to both the national 380,000 volt transmission network and the 110,000 volt network of the City of Hamburg. In addition, overseas ships can call at the location directly and use the quay and port facilities as an import terminal.
Hydrogen network
The municipal gas network company also intends to expand a hydrogen network in the port within ten years. The DSO is already working on the necessary distribution infrastructure. Numerous potential customers for green hydrogen are located near the site. Thus enabling the project to cover the entire hydrogen value chain. From generation to storage, transport and utilization in various sectors. With these prerequisites, the Moorburg location can become a potential starting point for the development of a hydrogen economy.
Coal phase-out
For many years, Moorburg was the site of a gas-fired power plant operated by Hamburgische Electricitäts-Werke. And Vattenfall had been operating a coal-fired power plant here since 2015. Its commercial operation was terminated after it won a bid in the auction for the German coal phase-out in December 2020. A decision by the transmission system operator on the system relevance of the plant is expected in March 2021. The City of Hamburg and Vattenfall are striving to clear areas of the site as soon as possible.
Sector coupling
In their efforts to form a consortium, the four companies can also count on the support of the City of Hamburg’s government. In their coalition agreement, the governing parties agreed to support the feasibility of sector coupling. And the establishment of hydrogen production in the city-state.
