Green hydrogen for mobility: Climate port Gelsenkirchen to become a production site
Royal blessing and expertise from the Netherlands, funding from the federal and state governments as well as property and commitment from Gelsenkirchen.
Example Representation of an Electrolysis Plant on the Port Area. (Image: VoltH2 Operating B.V.)
PRESS RELEASE (Translation by deepl.com)
Gelsenkirchen/Duisburg, November 15, 2023 – The hydrogen hotspot H2GE in Gelsenkirchen is making progress: On a property in the climate port Gelsenkirchen (DE "Klimahafen"), which the city of Gelsenkirchen was able to acquire in time from a local entrepreneur, an electrolyzer is expected to produce climate-neutral green hydrogen, and a hydrogen filling station for heavy-duty transport will be built by the end of 2026—provided everything continues as planned. In the presence of Dutch King Willem-Alexander, the Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hendrik Wüst, and Gelsenkirchen's Mayor Karin Welge, NRW's Minister for Economic Affairs, Mona Neubaur, handed over a €7.5 million state funding approval to the Dutch hydrogen producer VoltH2 yesterday evening.
"The climat port Gelsenkirchen is an ideal location for ramping up the climate-neutral hydrogen economy, particularly in the mobility sector, serving as a logistics hub and an industrial center. I am very pleased that the joint efforts of business and administration in our city and region are receiving such strong support from the federal and state governments as funding providers and from the Netherlands as a cooperation partner," said the Mayor.
The funding for the Gelsenkirchen project is the result of a successful joint application by the Hydrogen Metropole Ruhr initiative, led by the Regionalverband Ruhr (RVR) and Business Metropole Ruhr, in the "HyLand – Hydrogen Regions in Germany" competition organized by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV). The funded projects aim to establish a network of hydrogen refueling stations, creating the necessary infrastructure for climate-neutral heavy-duty transport. Around ten projects from the "HyPerformer Region Rhein-Ruhr", which was selected in early 2023, will receive funding from the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate, and Energy of North Rhine-Westphalia, totaling €30 million.
PRESS RELEASE (Translation by deepl.com)
The Dutch project developer VoltH2 successfully applied for the realization of an electrolyzer in the port of Gelsenkirchen. VoltH2 specializes in the development and operation of green hydrogen plants in Europe. The first two plants are currently under construction in Vlissingen and Terneuzen in the south of the Netherlands and are expected to be operational by 2025. Additional plants are planned for the seaport of Groningen, Wilhelmshaven, and Essen.
"At VoltH2, we have deliberately chosen the Ruhr region for green hydrogen production. We see not only the potential for a sustainable future here, but the region’s well-developed industry also provides us with the best conditions for a successful business," said André Jurres, Managing Director of VoltH2. Initially, the electrolysis plant in the climate port (DE "Klimahafen") will primarily supply the mobility sector with green hydrogen, with the possibility of later expanding to serve industrial process heat and the chemical industry on-site.
"We are very pleased that, two years after the launch of the Klimahafen initiative, we have now been able to coordinate the funding, the land, and the technology partner for the realization of an electrolyzer. The project supports the region's hydrogen ramp-up and the green transformation of our local industry. Not only companies in the port will benefit from this," said Simon Nowack, Head of Economic Development for the City of Gelsenkirchen.
Together with the companies of the Klimahafen initiative, the city successfully secured the last major open space in the city port for the electrolyzer, bringing it under municipal ownership. On October 18, Bernd Mensing, Commercial Director of Stadtwerke Gelsenkirchen and Managing Director of Gelsenkirchen Logistics, Port and Service Company (GELSEN-LOG.), signed the purchase agreement for the approx. 25,000 m² site.
Currently, project developers, the city, and the district government are coordinating the approval process for the planned electrolysis plant. Additionally, the construction of a hydrogen filling station by another operator is planned on the same site.
For media inquiries:
Wolfgang Jung
Managing Director, Wissenschaftspark Gelsenkirchen Projekte gGmbH
Coordinator of the Klimahafen Gelsenkirchen Initiative