DEVENS, Mass., Nov. 18, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Uniper has selected Electric Hydrogen as its exclusive partner to design a 200 megawatt (MW) electrolyzer plant for the large-scale electrolysis within Uniper’s Green Wilhelmshaven project in Northern Germany. Electric Hydrogen began conducting the preliminary front-end engineering design (“pre-FEED”) work for the project in October 2024.
Uniper’s Green Wilhelmshaven project consists of two major systems: large-scale electrolysis, which will produce green hydrogen, and an import terminal for ammonia. The electrolyzer will be built in Wilhelmshaven on the site of Uniper’s former coal-fired power plant. The ammonia import terminal is planned in the immediate vicinity of the first LNG terminal in the north of Wilhelmshaven, which is operated by a Uniper subsidiary.
Together, the two projects could meet a significant quantity of Germany’s projected demand for green hydrogen. Both plants will be connected via pipelines to the German hydrogen backbone and to underground storage facilities in northern Germany. With the Green Wilhelmshaven projects, Uniper aims to transform Wilhelmshaven into a central hub for green hydrogen in Germany. This is also confirmed by the “Project of Common Interest” (PCI) status granted to both projects.
The large-scale electrolysis will use renewable electricity from wind farms, creating zero-carbon green hydrogen gas for Uniper’s industrial customers. Green hydrogen plays a critical role in enabling industries like chemicals, steel, marine and air transport to chart a realistic path to carbon neutrality.
Decisive factors in the selection of the electrolysis technology were Electric Hydrogen’s advanced proton exchange membrane electrolysis (PEM) technology and the company’s offering of a fully integrated plant design to minimize hydrogen production costs. Electric Hydrogen’s low-cost 100 MW electrolyzer plants are available for deployment in the European Union in 2026.
“We aim to drive the efforts to decarbonize German and European industry. Uniper’s hydrogen project is a cornerstone of our plans to shape the energy transition,” said Susanne Thöle, Director of Hydrogen for Uniper. “We’re excited to begin the pre-FEED work on this project with Electric Hydrogen, in whom we have found a partner who understands our goals and supports our vision. We want to be the most trusted partner for policymakers, industry and society on how to make Europe’s energy supply secure, affordable and steadily greener.”
“Uniper is committed to becoming a leader in low-carbon energy,” said Raffi Garabedian, CEO of Electric Hydrogen. “We’re excited to help them fulfill this mission by bringing our advanced electrolysis technology and low project cost to Wilhelmshaven as their exclusive electrolysis partner. Electric Hydrogen was founded to make the switch from fossil fuels to zero-carbon green hydrogen an economic inevitability. Green Wilhelmshaven is a monumental step toward that goal.”
About Uniper
Düsseldorf-based Uniper is a European energy company with global reach and activities in more than 40 countries. With approximately 7,400 employees, the company makes an important contribution to security of supply in Europe, particularly in its core markets of Germany, the UK, Sweden and the Netherlands.
Uniper’s operations encompass power generation in Europe, global energy trading, and a broad gas portfolio. Uniper procures gas – including liquefied natural gas (LNG) – and other energy sources on global markets. The company owns and operates gas storage facilities with a total capacity of more than 7 billion cubic meters.
Uniper intends to be completely carbon-neutral by 2040. Uniper aims for its installed power generating capacity to be more than 80% zero-carbon by the early 2030s. To achieve this, the company is transforming its power plants and facilities and investing in flexible, dispatchable power generating units. Uniper is already one of Europe’s largest operators of hydropower plants and is helping further expand solar and wind power, which are essential for a more sustainable and secure future. The company is progressively expanding its gas portfolio to include green gases like hydrogen and biomethane and aims to convert to these gases over the long term.
Uniper is a reliable partner for communities, municipal utilities, and industrial enterprises for planning and implementing innovative, lower-carbon solutions on their decarbonization journey. Uniper is a hydrogen pioneer, is active worldwide along the entire hydrogen value chain, and is conducting projects to make hydrogen a mainstay of the energy supply.
About Electric Hydrogen
Electric Hydrogen manufactures, delivers and commissions the world’s most powerful electrolyzers for critical industries to produce the lowest cost electrolytic hydrogen. The company’s complete 100 MW plant includes all system components required to turn water and electricity into hydrogen, including power conversion, gas processing, water treatment and thermal management. Electric Hydrogen’s advanced proton exchange membrane electrolysis (PEM) technology helps critical industries achieve their climate and energy security objectives by making electrolytic hydrogen an economic inevitability. Electric Hydrogen has a team of more than 300 people with operations in California and Massachusetts. The company was founded in 2020 and has secured more than $750M in financing to date.
CONTACT
Uniper SE
Julia Grebe
Head of Stakeholder-Management North-Germany
T +49 170 / 715 95 05
[email protected]
Electric Hydrogen
Liam Sullivan
[email protected]
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