EWE CEO Stefan Dohler had reason to be pleased today in Berlin: Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer promised him millions of euros in funding for the "Hyways for Future" project - at the announcement of the winners of the "HyLand Hydrogen Regions in Germany" ideas competition. The OLEC member EWE, swb and various partners (including OLEC) intend to invest around 90 million euros within the framework of the project, including the promised subsidies. The competition was initiated by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI).

The BMVI would like to motivate municipalities and regions in Germany to raise regional awareness of the topic of hydrogen, to develop hydrogen concepts or to implement concrete hydrogen projects. The BMVI provides funding in three categories for this purpose. "Germany becomes a hydrogen country. With our H2 funding, we are going into the area and supporting a further 16 regions in establishing a local hydrogen economy. Our goal is to produce hydrogen locally from renewable energies and then use it in the region. It is clear that we think mobility in a new and holistic way - from energy production to drive technology and tank infrastructure. Only if hydrogen really becomes green can we convince people and make mobility climate-friendly," says Andreas Scheuer.

Focus on the transport sector

With the "Hyways for Future" project, EWE, in a consortium with around 90 partners from industry and politics, aims to advance the market ramp-up of regeneratively produced hydrogen in the northwest. The aim is to establish long-term climate-friendly hydrogen in the Northwest Metropolitan Region in the areas of industry, energy supply and transport. The hydrogen model region focuses on the cities of Cuxhaven, Wilhelmshaven, Bremerhaven, Oldenburg and Bremen. "In the first step, the focus is on the application of hydrogen in the mobility sector," explained Stefan Dohler. According to Dohler, concrete investment intentions within the framework of the project include - among many other projects - the construction of hydrogen filling stations, the purchase of hydrogen buses for local public transport, cleaning vehicles and hydrogen-powered cars and trucks. EWE sees advantages in the use of hydrogen as an energy carrier, particularly in the heavy-duty sector.

Northwest becomes hydrogen hub

Due to its geographical location, the Northwest Metropolitan Region offers the best prerequisites for a large-scale, green hydrogen economy: it opens up the possibility of generating green hydrogen with existing and newly constructed offshore and onshore wind farms, importing it by ship, storing it in existing caverns and using it alongside transport in the industrial, energy and heating market sectors. "These prerequisites, combined with our willingness to innovate and infrastructure, make the Northwest a hydrogen hub," Dohler said literally.

Here you will find the original press release.

Further information on the topic of hydrogen and OLEC's commitment can be found on the website of the Hydrogen Working Group (German only). 

Picture: Shutterstock

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