North Rhine-Westphalia's state government has become the first federal state to present its own hydrogen import concept. The state aims to position itself as an "attractive partner for hydrogen suppliers from around the world". The demand for hydrogen in NRW is estimated at up to 177 terawatt hours per year, of which over 90 percent will need to be imported.
In its press release on the import concept dated July 25, the Green-led Ministry of Economic Affairs of North Rhine-Westphalia stated that the federal state, as the "industrial heart of Europe," requires large quantities of hydrogen and its derivatives. The demand comes particularly from the steel and chemical industries, as well as power plants.
According to current calculations, the long-term hydrogen demand in NRW will be between 127 and 177 terawatt hours per year. More than 90 percent will likely need to be imported from other countries and federal states. In addition to pipeline-bound transport of pure hydrogen, the derivatives ammonia, methanol, and synthetic fuels are particularly relevant for this purpose.
The import concept aims to show how NRW can become attractive to potential export partners. At the same time, the government wants to use the concept to outline the state's contribution to the ramp-up of a hydrogen market economy and what requirements it places on future supplier countries.
H2.NRW Bundles Hydrogen Activities
Since the beginning of the year, the state has been bundling its H2 activities in the central hydrogen control center H2.NRW. NRW Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, Mona Neubaur, stated that the hydrogen economy will "eventually replace" the fossil oil and gas economy. According to Neubaur, hydrogen offers "revolutionary possibilities" for economic development, as shown by the draft for the hydrogen core network presented on July 22:
"This won't be a walk in the park, as not all projects in the core network yet have a project sponsor to finance and implement them. Moreover, it remains true that large energy projects can also pose risks to people and the environment locally, which will still need to be examined on a case-by-case basis in the respective approval procedures. That's why we are advocating for ambitious sustainability criteria. At the same time, the market is still in its infancy, and hydrogen consumers in NRW are mostly energy and industrial companies competing on a European and global scale. So pragmatism is needed to ensure that young projects don't die in their infancy. That's why we're already tackling the future in NRW."
The state government recently announced funding for two IPCEI projects, providing 112 million euros for this purpose. The projects involve both the construction of green hydrogen production facilities in NRW and the establishment of part of the necessary infrastructure. Further steps are to follow, including network planning for the hydrogen network.
