Green Hydrogen from EWE – The Energy Carrier of the Future
How the Green Gas Secures Climate Targets
EWE is committed to establishing a fully comprehensive hydrogen economy in the north-west and is one of the few companies actively engaged along the entire value chain: Production, storage, transport and utilisation of green hydrogen.
Green hydrogen is one of the key energy sources of the future. It enables the storage of climate-friendly energy and its transport to where it is needed – for example, in industry, the energy sector or transport. This makes green hydrogen an indispensable element in achieving climate targets and linking the three sectors energy, mobility and industry. The EWE Group with its subsidiaries is one of the few companies in Germany to cover the entire hydrogen value chain.
Establishing a Hydrogen Economy in the North-west
EWE is committed to establishing a fully comprehensive hydrogen economy. Green hydrogen is already being produced, transported and utilised in north-west Germany. Between the Ems, Weser and Elbe rivers, the region offers ideal conditions to become a key location for a strong European hydrogen economy:
A significant amount of renewable energy is generated in the north-west, primarily from onshore and offshore wind energy – the foundation for producing green hydrogen.
EWE has decades of experience in the production of renewable energies, in energy storage, transport and trading, as well as in the use of gaseous energy sources such as biogas and natural gas.
Numerous infrastructure components that are suitable for the transport and storage of green hydrogen are already in place – such as underground cavern storage facilities and an extensive, well-developed gas network.
EWE operates one of the largest gas distribution networks in Germany.
Thanks to its central location in Europe and connections via several harbours, green hydrogen can be imported on a large scale through various channels.
EWE can utilise a local and supra-regional partner network for a wide range of hydrogen projects.
The Hydrogen Program ‘Clean Hydrogen Coastline’
Within the Clean Hydrogen Coastline program, EWE consolidates all its hydrogen-related activities – from production and transport to storage and the use of green hydrogen in industry, mobility, and the energy sector. Some of the projects have been classified by the EU as Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI), recognizing them as transnational projects of joint European significance.
Production of Green Hydrogen
Green hydrogen enables the storage of renewable electricity generated in onshore and offshore wind farms in north-west Germany. This is achieved through electrolysis, where water is split into oxygen and hydrogen using climate-neutral electricity. The hydrogen produced can then be transported to consumers. The construction of hydrogen production facilities is a long-term endeavour aimed at continuously expanding electrolysis capacities and making a significant contribution to the energy transition.
EWE has been operating a test electrolyser in Huntorf, Lower Saxony, since 2019, which is connected to a hydrogen refuelling station. A 2-megawatt hydrogen production facility is already in operation in Cuxhaven.
As part of the large-scale ‘Clean Hydrogen Coastline’ project, one of Europe’s largest hydrogen production facilities is being developed in Emden, East Frisia. With a capacity of 320 megawatts, it will produce green hydrogen primarily for industrial and heavy-duty transport applications from 2028 onwards.
Stored green hydrogen is available exactly when it is needed. Large-scale hydrogen storage enhances security of supply and grid stability. Underground salt caverns offer a safe and demand-driven way to store green hydrogen in large quantities. EWE has decades of expertise in this area.
The EWE subsidiary EWE GASSPEICHER GmbH operates 37 cavern storagefacilities in north-west Germany and Brandenburg, with a total capacity of approximately two billion cubic metres. These account for 15% of Germany’s cavern storage facilities that are suitable for green hydrogen storage.
As part of the HyCAVmobil research project, EWE – together with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) – successfully tested whether and how green hydrogen can be optimally stored in a small test cavern at its gas storage site in Rüdersdorf, Brandenburg. Further testing is currently underway in Rüdersdorf, including analyses of the mixing behavior of hydrogen and natural gas, as well as assessments of water vapor content. These are particularly important for the development of the required technology in retrofitted caverns.
These findings will be applied to a much larger project in the coming years: in Huntorf, Lower Saxony, EWE is converting a large-scale cavern storage facility, previously used for natural gas, into a green hydrogen storage site as part of the IPCEI ‘Clean Hydrogen Coastline’ project. Storage operations are scheduled to begin in 2027.
Hydrogen transport networks connect production and storage facilities with consumers. These networks are being developed partly in parallel with the natural gas grid and partly by repurposing existing natural gas infrastructure. The hydrogen core network, comparable to a motorway, will link key hydrogen locations, while the distribution network, similar to local roads, will deliver green hydrogen primarily to industrial consumers.
EWE’s subsidiary GTG Nord, along with other partners, is planning to develop a hydrogen core network. EWE NETZ already operates one of Germany’s largest gas distribution networks, much of which is suitable for green hydrogen.
As part of the ‘H2 Pipeline Infrastructure North-West’ project within ‘Clean Hydrogen Coastline’, EWE is optimising regional gas infrastructure for green hydrogen. By constructing and repurposing multiple pipeline sections, EWE is ensuring connections to the future European hydrogen transport network.
Since early 2024, the so-called ‘Zukunftsleitung’, which can be translated as the ‘Future Pipeline’, has been in operation in north-west Germany. This 70-kilometre pipeline was designed for hydrogen from the beginning and could become a key component of Germany’s hydrogen core network in 2028. A connection to Dutch hydrogen networks is the next step planned.
Energy-intensive industries such as steel, glass and ammonia production cannot be fully decarbonised using renewable electricity alone. However, switching to green hydrogen can significantly reduce CO₂ emissions. Green hydrogen can also replace fossil fuels in heavy-duty transport, including trains, trucks and buses.
EWE aims to supply industrial partners, such as those in the steel and chemical industries, with green hydrogen for climate-neutral production.
Additionally, part of the green hydrogen produced from renewable energy will be used to decarbonise heavy-duty transport and ensure a sustainable power supply through future hydrogen power plants.
The transformation of industry will only succeed if hydrogen is not just a political ambition but also economically viable. EWE is investing in the hydrogen economy with full conviction, but now we need determined cooperation between politics and business. Germany and Europe must deliver: on electricity prices, on funding, on infrastructure. Only then will the trust needed for billion-euro investments emerge. In doing so, we also strengthen the resilience and independence of our energy supply. With our projects, we aim to eventually feed green hydrogen into the national hydrogen core network. Our planning is focused on enabling flexible and broad-based use of hydrogen.”
Stefan Dohler, CEO EWE AG
Large-scale Program: Clean Hydrogen Coastline
EWE consolidates its expertise along the entire hydrogen value chain within its ‘Clean Hydrogen Coastline’ program.
The transformation of industry will only succeed if hydrogen is not just a political ambition but also economically viable. EWE is investing in the hydrogen economy with full conviction, but now we need determined cooperation between politics and business. Germany and Europe must deliver: on electricity prices, on funding, on infrastructure. Only then will the trust needed for billion-euro investments emerge. In doing so, we also strengthen the resilience and independence of our energy supply. With our projects, we aim to eventually feed green hydrogen into the national hydrogen core network. Our planning is focused on enabling flexible and broad-based use of hydrogen.”Stefan Dohler, CEO EWE AG
