Green hydrogen developer Tree Energy Solutions (TES) and German utility EWE have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to build a 500MW electrolyser in TES’ Green Energy Hub at Wilhelmshaven.

Belgium-based TES has already raised €65mn ($66mn) from a group of investors, including banking group HSBC and energy company Eon, to build a clean energy import hub at the northern German port. The terminal will initially import LNG before switching to synthetic methane for conversion to green hydrogen. 

The electrolyser is to be installed and operated from 2028 with a further unit planned eventually to take the total capacity to 1GW.

The hub could theoretically accommodate up to 2GW of electrolysers, with renewable energy sources such as offshore wind used to produce green hydrogen. 

“The signing of this MoU is a clear example of the progress underway for Wilhelmshaven to become a major green energy hub for all of Europe, which will not only import green energy but also generate locally produced hydrogen,” says Marco Alvares, CEO of TES. 

Hub development

TES already has plans to produce green hydrogen using solar, wind and hydropower in regions including the Middle East. It will convert the hydrogen into synthetic methane using CO₂ to produce an energy carrier that can be shipped by tanker to Wilhelmshaven. At the German port it will be converted back into hydrogen, with the resulting CO₂ captured and shipped back to the original hydrogen producer country in a ‘closed loop’, which guarantees the CO₂ never leaves the cycle. 

The terminal would take 25TWh/yr of synthetic methane from 2027, yielding more than 0.5mn t of hydrogen at Wilhelmshaven. 

Wilhelmshaven already has some hydrogen storage and a direct link to the planned German hydrogen network.

Oil and gas firm Wintershall Dea is also planning a blue hydrogen production facility at the port.  

Germany wants to import 3mn t/yr of hydrogen by 2030, rising to 11mn t/yr by 2050. Recently, German chancellor Olaf Scholz announced an expansion of the H2Global auction scheme to €4bn from the initial €900mn promised on its announcement last year, with the first tenders to take place soon.

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Author: Tom Young