New Hamburg Hydrogen Network aims to ‘Make Hamburg Greener’

The companies Airbus, ArcelorMittal, Gasnetz Hamburg, GreenPlug, Hamburger Hafen und Logistik, Hamburg Port Authority, HADAG Seetouristik und Fährdienst as well as Stadtreinigung Hamburg, together with the companies behind the Hamburg Green Hydrogen Hub – namely Shell, Vattenfall, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Wärme Hamburg - have formed the Hamburg Hydrogen Network (Wasserstoffverbund Hamburg).

Both the German Federal Government and the European Union want to support high-profile projects in order to lay the foundation for a strong hydrogen economy in Europe. In a first joint effort, the Hamburg Hydrogen Network has submitted an application under an EU-wide support program.

The network’s projects, linking hydrogen production, distribution and utilization across a range of applications, will contribute to significant emission reductions. Already as of 2026, the network partners’ projects could reduce CO₂ emissions in Hamburg by 170,000 tons each year. Thanks to local electrolysis, sea-side imports and connection to the emerging European hydrogen network, the Hamburg Hydrogen Network has the potential to reduce Hamburg’s current 16 million tons in CO₂ emissions by more than 1 million tons annually by 2030.

The green hydrogen produced by the Hamburg Green Hydrogen Hub primarily would replace fossil fuels in industrial production as well as in the transport and logistics sector. The additional utilization of the waste heat from the electrolysis for the district heating network and the thermal treatment of municipal waste would reduce the environmental footprint of a variety of industries even further.

The planned conversion of a coal power plant in Hamburg-Moorburg into a scalable 100-megawatt electrolysis plant for the production of green hydrogen from renewable energy, is seen as the foundation for building a complete hydrogen value chain in Hamburg. The Port of Hamburg, with its wide network of potential industrial applications and service partners, offers a unique location-specific advantage to creating a viable hydrogen economy.

Source and Photo: HHLA