HydrOxy Hub Walsum

Reassessment of the project

Hydrogen can play a major role in the transformation of industry. However, the ramp-up of hydrogen in Germany is proceeding slowly. There are many reasons for this, one of the key factors being the bureaucratic requirements for green hydrogen from Brussels. These make many things more complicated and expensive and lead to distorted competitive conditions within the EU. In addition, high electricity prices in Germany are a major hurdle. The production of hydrogen by electrolysis is very electricity-intensive due to the nature of the process. At the same time, electricity prices in Germany are among the highest in the world. As a result, hydrogen projects in Germany are hardly competitive. The overall economic situation and the delayed expansion of energy infrastructure are a further burden.

This has also had an impact on the electrolyser project in Duisburg-Walsum (HydrOxy Hub Walsum). A potential anchor customer has put the tender on hold. Plans for a large electrolyser with a capacity of up to 500 MW are not currently being actively pursued due to the lack of demand for hydrogen in large quantities. We are currently re-evaluating the project approach, i.e. decentralised hydrogen production at our power plant sites, and are examining alternative purchase routes. We are in promising discussions with potential partners in this regard. We remain firmly convinced of the Walsum site: Walsum is ideally suited for the consumption-oriented production of hydrogen in the western Ruhr area. The grid connection to the electricity and future hydrogen core network is ideal. We are therefore continuing to drive forward the development of the site in our established partnerships.