German and French ports launch new hydrogen import projects

Hamburg will be the location of a hydrogen-producing ammonia import operation (file photo)

Posted on November 21, 2022 at 6:28 p.m. by

The Maritime Executive

Efforts continue to build partnerships with European ports to develop hydrogen supply for future fuels. In Germany, Hamburg has announced plans for the country’s first large-scale green energy import facility linked to existing facilities in the port, while in France, the port of Nantes – Saint Nazaire is part of a project to support large-scale green hydrogen production facilities to fuel the energy transition of the Loire Valley.


The project in Hamburg will see Air Products work with Mabanaft, through its subsidiary Oiltanking Deutschland, which currently operates the large tank farm in Hamburg, to develop Germany’s first large-scale green energy import terminal. . The planned terminal is to be located on the existing Mabanaft tank terminal, which would provide strategic access to green ammonia from large-scale green hydrogen production facilities operated by Air Products and its partners worldwide .


According to the proposal, they plan to import ammonia which would be converted into green hydrogen at Air Products’ facilities in Hamburg. It would then be available for distribution to buyers locally and in northern Germany. The aim is to launch the operation by 2026 and it joins others in Germany, such as the new Wilhelmshaven terminal being developed for LNG which is also exploring ammonia imports.


German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck said: “Now more than ever, we need to drive the hydrogen economy forward. To do this, we are setting up our own hydrogen production in Germany, but of course we also need hydrogen from imports. An accelerated energy transition with more speed in the expansion of renewable energies and the rise of green hydrogen are the right answers to Russian aggression and the right answers to strengthen energy security, resilience and competitiveness.


Similarly in France, they are also exploring efforts to develop an offshore hydrogen production supply chain. Nantes? The port of Saint-Nazaire, which is the fourth seaport in France, will work with Lhyfe, a French company developing renewable and green hydrogen sources to develop the hydrogen supply chain. Lhyfe operates a renewable hydrogen production facility using water electrolysis and in September launched its Sealhyfe project in Saint Nazaire which is the world’s first offshore renewable hydrogen production platform. The prototype, which will be connected to a floating wind turbine, will have a capacity of 1 MW. Lhyfe plans to set up similar onshore facilities across Europe.


Together with the port, the companies will work together to identify port areas and facilities capable of hosting R&D prototypes, as well as industrial requirements for the construction of equipment and support infrastructure needed for hydrogen production. large-scale offshore.
Companies will also explore how best to bring renewable gas to shore and integrate it into the onshore grid.


Other European ports, notably in the Netherlands and Belgium, are also looking to build hydrogen supply facilities. They are each exploring import opportunities both to supply domestic users and to develop bunkering operations to provide alternative fuels to the marine industry.

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