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Hydrogen
A successful energy transition requires green hydrogen. The steel industry, aviation, shipping as well as parts of land-based heavy transport will not be able to achieve the necessary CO2 reductions without hydrogen and its derivatives. Other industries also have a need for green hydrogen, which must be taken into account in planning.
The state of Bremen is a top 10 industrial location in Germany and the energy transition is a future field that offers numerous opportunities for the manufacturing industry. Innovative products and services for a CO2-free economy are therefore just as important for the successful development of companies as the transformation of their internal processes.
A pioneering hydrogen economy is emerging in Bremen. The “Office for Hydrogen and Climate Transformation in Industry” at the Senator for Economic Affairs, Ports and Transformation is the first point of contact for concerns in this field and is closely networked with all relevant departments and companies.
Important aspects of the transformation process to the hydrogen economy are summarized here.
Hydrogen in Bremen and Bremerhaven (Youtube)
1. An ecosystem with green hydrogen, products and services is available
Several tons of green hydrogen can be produced daily by four and soon five electrolyzers with a total of 14 MW. Hydrogen filling stations are available in Bremen and Bremerhaven, EVB trains and ten buses of Bremerhaven-Bus run on hydrogen through the seaport city. The food industry and the steelworks in Bremen have always used hydrogen in production. An ecosystem for green hydrogen is available and is promoted privately in Bremerhaven by the hy.city.bremerhaven initiative.
The research vessel Uthörn of the Bremerhaven Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) sails in the North Sea with methanol engines developed in Bremen. Garbage collection vehicles and trucks, tank systems, industrial blower burners, and the upper stages of Ariane rockets are manufactured in Bremen - some for decades. In anticipation of the Bremerhaven competence center for hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, the ttz Bremerhaven offers services in the test center for mobile hydrogen applications. Electrolyzer validation and qualification are the focus of the Hydrogen Lab Bremerhaven.
2. One billion euros in funding for climate-neutral key industries is available
At the Bremen steelworks, the direct reduction of iron through the IPCEI project DRIBE² and the construction of a 50-megawatt electrolyzer through the IPCEI project Clean Hydrogen Coastline are supported with a total of around 900 million euros in investment funding. A 10-megawatt electrolyzer is being built in the hyBit project. The IPCEI project WoPLiN will receive around 80 million euros in funding for development work on climate-neutral flying. For all IPCEI projects, 30 percent of the funding is provided by the state of Bremen.
3. Industrial, commercial, and port areas will be connected to the core network
The city of Bremen will be connected to the German hydrogen core network and thus also to the 'European Hydrogen Backbone' through Gasunie's IPCEI project Hyperlink. Completion is planned for 2027. This will give the Bremen steelworks and, in the future, the industrial ports access to hydrogen on a multi-megawatt scale. Another possible direct access to the hydrogen core network is located south of the city of Bremen and could supply commercial areas there.
In Bremerhaven, the connection of the Energy Port in the southern fishing port is planned for 2030. Here, the connection to the core network is to be realized via a new pipeline to be built west of the Weser with a Weser underpass. The Bremen ports are preparing with extensive studies and pilot projects for the possible handling of hydrogen and its derivatives as well as the use of hydrogen on the way to a CO2-neutral port, particularly in the overseas port and the fishing port.
4. More than 40 projects of research & development
Numerous R&D projects are being carried out in the state of Bremen. Materials research in the Bremen research center ECOMAT is being expanded to include cryogenic hydrogen and will be concentrated in the ECOMAT Hydrogen Campus in the future. Application-oriented research on the subject of hydrogen is a strength of the universities. In Bremerhaven, for example, numerous spin-off projects have emerged from the Hydrogen - Green Gas for Bremerhaven project, from the test center for mobile applications to the production of synthetic methanol. From 2025, the Hydrogen Innovation and Technology Center will be implemented, funded by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport providing 24.17 million euros for Bremen and Bremerhaven. A liquid hydrogen test bench geared towards aviation is being built in Bremen, and an H2 3D simulator (sea state simulator) for testing ship propulsion systems and other ship-compatible H2 systems is being built in Bremerhaven. The hyBit - hydrogen for Bremen's industrial transformation project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research with 30 million euros, is researching the transformation of large-scale industrial infrastructures, such as the Bremen steelworks, the industrial ports, and the freight transport center.
5. Networking, advocacy, and international marketing are our strengths
The state of Bremen promotes networking through events, such as the hydrogen symposium in Bremerhaven, cooperation with the Northwest Metropolitan Region, as part of the North German Hydrogen Strategy, and joint stands at the “Hydrogen Technology Expo” trade fair. It further participates in delegation trips and cooperation agreements, for example with the cities of Kobe and Oslo as well as Tasmania, and in projects such as North Sea Hydrogen Valley Ports. Together with the northern German states, the interests are represented to the federal government and the location is marketed internationally through the HY-5 initiative.
