The German city of Hamburg has published a hydrogen strategy as part of efforts to position itself as an importer of the green variety of the fuel.

The strategy will initiate an assessment of the hydrogen needs of northern Germany by 2023 and the port infrastructure required to meet these needs. It commits the city to signing memorandums of understanding with at least six more countries or regions by 2025 in addition to the deals already signed with Scotland. The city is particularly seeking cooperation with Australia, Chile, Denmark, Norway and the UAE.

The strategy will also model the viability of rail-based hydrogen imports and will initiate a consultation with Denmark on the best way to connect the region with the Danish hydrogen pipeline network. In addition, it will coordinate with the EU on green hydrogen certification.

“We are well equipped to handle future hydrogen requirements” Westhagemann, Hamburg senator for economic affairs

Northern Germany is known as a hub for wind power and will now put this expertise towards setting up a green hydrogen value chain, according to Hamburg’s senator for economic affairs, Michael Westhagemann.

“We are well equipped to handle future hydrogen requirements on-site and beyond by using Hamburg as a hub for imports,” he says.

“In this way, we also want to promote the local hydrogen economy, secure jobs in existing industries and generate new value-added potential in the region."

Germany's national hydrogen strategy set an import target of 76-96TWh for 2030.

The German government has launched the H2Global initiative for green hydrogen imports, a €2bn ($2.4bn) strategy to support electrolyser projects abroad.

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Author: Tom Young