The German Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy has published an ordinance on the allocation of areas for the production of green hydrogen in Germany's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), located in the North Sea.
The standard that just came into force creates the opportunity to test the production of hydrogen also from offshore wind energy.
First tender: 2022
The German ministry is pressing on the accelerator, announcing the first tender in just a few months, in 2022. The government believes that offshore wind power is the most advanced technology to allow the direct generation of hydrogen at sea through electrolysis.
The production of green hydrogen at sea is a crucial issue for the future. And it has a high potential for innovation. Offshore hydrogen production can make an important contribution to the decarbonisation of Germany as a location for industry.
Peter Altmaier, Energy Minister, Germany
The utility RWE together with the oil supermajor Shell and Siemens Energy plan to install two 14 MW Siemens Gamesa offshore wind turbines with an integrated electrolyser for H2 production near the island of Heligoland by 2025.
Germany intends to invest seriously in the sector
Offshore hydrogen areas in the EEZ in Germany will be allocated according to qualitative criteria. Successful bidders will first receive the right to apply for a planning process in an area. At a later stage, they will be able to apply for the entire license to operate.
We need (already?) More areas
The offshore wind sector in Germany has welcomed this measure as a first step towards producing hydrogen at sea. However, enthusiasm goes hand in hand with voracity: from the Offshore Wind Foundation (BWO), an industry association, they let it be known that it is not enough. “We need to make more areas available for offshore hydrogen,” says Stefan Thimm, CEO of BWO. “The only area allocated in the North Sea so far is just a drop in the ocean and far from enough to decarbonise our industry. More areas are needed quickly, and above all a regulatory framework for the approval of electrolysers: time is obviously short."
