Editorial April

Even if one of the two boiler houses initially withstood the explosion, the ongoing dismantling of the Moorburg power plant shows that the trend towards green hydrogen production in Hamburg is progressing. The demolition of the two smoke stacks in November 2024 was the prelude to clearing the parts of the building that will be unsuitable for use in hydrogen production going forward. There are plans to reuse parts of the complex. The transformer station in particular will be the central ‘asset’ to ensure that sufficient green electricity is available for the first electrolyser and downstream stages of site expansion.

Even if sections of the general public and the media believe that industrial decarbonisation is treading water in Germany, it is actually true that construction of the Hamburg Green Hydrogen Hub and the first 100 MW electrolyser at the Moorburg site is proceeding at full speed. Building work on the Hamburg hydrogen industry network began at the port last year. The first hydrogen purchase contract has also been signed. In Hamburg, the plans are not to supply just a refinery or a single major customer but instead to establish a diverse hydrogen ecosystem in the confined environment of the port.

An agreement has been reached in the context of the new special fund for infrastructure to invest a significant proportion of the resources in climate protection measures. Ongoing work on the hydrogen ecosystem at the Port of Hamburg presents a good opportunity to support the decarbonisation of an industry that is vital to Germany. Given that the cost of green, climate-friendly hydrogen is currently much higher than for fossil fuels, companies switching to hydrogen production will require more effective support to achieve this transition. It will be important to adopt a pragmatic stance here: companies should receive support in the longer term, even if decarbonisation only encompasses parts and not all of the production process. If ‘blue’ hydrogen (produced from natural gas and with CO2 injection) is also required for the early ramp-up phase of industrial decarbonisation, this should be possible under clear conditions of a long-term green hydrogen economy. Investments in green hydrogen should not become uneconomical as things progress. Other industrial customers could follow this positive example.

The only alternative to this transition to climate-neutral hydrogen would be if the industrial sector relied entirely on the collection and injection of CO2 into underground storage facilities: Carbon Capture and Storage – CCS. This would require an extensive pipeline infrastructure with a long lead time. The costs are not yet foreseeable. Not to forget: it is usually not possible to sequester carbon to 100%; residual emissions will always remain. In this respect, the demolitions in Moorburg should be seen as an incentive for the next German government to continue its support of continuing to build an incipient green hydrogen economy!