The federal government’s national hydrogen strategy envisages a nationwide core network. Many locations in Central Germany urgently want to be connected to it.
The hydrogen strategy of the federal government is not just letters on paper, but a real construction site where what is politically wanted is put into practice. That’s what Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck said in Duisburg at the end of July and presented Thyssenkrupp with a promotional check for almost two billion euros. From the end of the 2030s, only “green” steel will be produced there using green hydrogen.
“We are not a mega player like Thyssenkrupp with a large location, but we have several hundred plants spread across the area,” comments Rainer Rohde on the support for the DAX group. Rohde is works manager at the pipe manufacturer Steinzeug-Keramo in Bad Schmiedeberg in Saxony-Anhalt. The company urgently needs a hydrogen infrastructure, explains Rohde.
Long “H2 ready”
Steinzeug-Keramo is one of 200 medium-sized companies in Europe and the USA belonging to the Austrian company Wienerberger AG. Around 1,000 people live from the company in the area around Bad Schmiedeberg. 180 employees work on site.
Steinzeug-Keramo has trimmed two out of three production lines for energy efficiency so that less natural gas is required. In principle, the firing of the kilns is already “H2-ready”, explains Rohde as he walks through production. “We could already use hydrogen in these two plants with the conversion – if it were there.”
The Steinzeug-Keramo company wants to be connected to the hydrogen core network for the production of its pipes. In theory, the company could already switch to production with H2.
Great demand
Last year, a feasibility study by the “Metropolregion Mitteldeutschland” association and the “Hypos” hydrogen network showed that central German companies have a high demand for hydrogen. The study came to the conclusion that Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia need a transnational hydrogen network.
The study estimates that companies will need 20 terawatt hours (TWh) by 2040. However, only around 2.5 TWh of green hydrogen could be generated in the region. The rest is to be brought to the central German companies via a pipeline network – from other regions of Germany or from abroad.
New impulses and testimonials
Rainer Rohde wants to be part of this future network. That’s why he joined the metropolitan region, which is now also hosting the third Central German Hydrogen Congress in Freyburg an der Unstrut. The congress should bring new impulses for the networking of the central German hydrogen economy. Representatives of dozens of companies, network operators, research institutes and politicians come together to exchange information about the procurement, production and distribution of hydrogen and its potential for the region.
In addition to Steinzeug-Keramo, Hörmann KG from Ichtershausen in Thuringia is also at the hydrogen congress. The company has come a long way. Hörmann has had an electrolyser on the site since spring – the device that can be used to produce hydrogen from electricity and water. According to the gate manufacturer, it has been invited to Freyburg to report on its experiences with producing and storing hydrogen with its own electrolyser. Plant manager Matthias Nemitz explains this MDRone is currently considering whether one could not replace the entire natural gas requirement.
Companies want to get away from natural gas quickly
Parallel to the congress, Economics Minister Habeck is visiting the Dresden company Sunfire – one of two large electrolyser manufacturers in central Germany. Among other things, the minister wants to find out about the company’s expansion plans and is bringing a grant notice with him: Sunfire will receive around 167 million euros to set up series production for electrolysers.
The Porstendorf cardboard factory in the heart of Thuringia would also like to switch to hydrogen. The medium-sized company has customers worldwide for its greyboard. “For us as a producer, it’s about being at the forefront of the energy issue and finding the best solution,” explains plant manager Sebastian Heckmann MDR.
Hydrogen as an energy carrier is of great importance. “We are currently working with gas, but would like to switch to green hydrogen as soon as possible”. The topic of decarbonization is also very important to customers. Whether you will buy an electrolyser yourself or get the hydrogen from other locations is still an open question.
No connection until 2030?
This is where the hydrogen core network and the connection of the sites come into play again. Since the core network is still a long way off, hydrogen can currently only be transported in tanks or cartridges by truck, ship or train. With EU funding, a so-called starting network of 1,800 kilometers in length is to be created by 2027/28 to distribute hydrogen in Germany; a network that, according to the federal government, should consist of newly built hydrogen pipelines and rededicated natural gas pipelines. Experts are still arguing about the technical solutions.
However, this starting network is only the basis, comparable to the large blood vessels in the human body. In order to also supply industry with hydrogen away from urban centers, a well-developed so-called distribution network is also needed – like the small blood vessels in the body. Only when this distribution network is connected can the cardboard manufacturer in Porstendorf and the pipe manufacturer Steinzeug-Keramo also benefit from the hype about hydrogen. Realistically, however, this will hardly be the case before 2030.