Airbus, ArcelorMittal, MHI, Shell and eight others establish Hamburg Hydrogen Network

Twelve strong leading companies have joined forces to form the Hamburg Hydrogen Network (Wasserstoffverbund Hamburg), which can save over one million tonnes of CO2, H2 Bulletin reports.

The joining members are:

• Airbus
• ArcelorMittal
• Gasnetz Hamburg
• GreenPlug
• Hamburger Hafen und Logistik
• Hamburg Port Authority
• HADAG Seetouristik und Fährdienst
• Stadtreinigung Hamburg
• Shell
• Vattenfall
• Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
• Wärme Hamburg

The network’s projects, linking hydrogen production, distribution and utilisation across various applications, will significantly reduce emission. As of 2026, the network partners’ projects could reduce CO2 emissions in Hamburg by 170k tonnes/year. The Hamburg Hydrogen Network can reduce the region current 16 million tonnes in CO2 emissions by more than 1 million tonnes annually by 2030.

The green hydrogen produced in the Hamburg Green Hydrogen Hub primarily would replace fossil fuels in industrial production and the transport and logistics sector, while the waste heat from electrolysis will be used for heating to reduce carbon footprint.

The coal power plant in Hamburg-Moorburg is planned for a scalable 100 MW electrolysis plant to produce green hydrogen using renewable power, while the Port of Hamburg will play its role in developing a viable hydrogen economy. The network can spillover benefit for Germany and a wider Europe, supporting renewable energy, hydrogen production facilities, infrastructure, distribution and the whole transportation sector.

The consortium submitted the funding application to the EU “Important Projects of Common European Interest” (IPCEI) which covers the following nine projects:

HGHH – Hamburg Green Hydrogen Hub

Shell, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), Vattenfall and municipal company Wärme Hamburg are planning to produce hydrogen from wind and solar power at the Hamburg-Moorburg power plant site.

In addition to constructing a scalable electrolyser with an initial output of 100 MW megawatts, the further development of the site into a so-called “Green Energy Hub” is planned.

Airbus

Airbus’ ZEROe aircraft concept is a fundamental contribution to global climate goals and aims to reduce emissions from aviation in a sustainable manner. The concept of “Hydrogen for the infrastructure and production of aeronautics in Northern Germany” (WIPLiN) provides that, in addition to the construction of a hydrogen-powered aircraft prototype, the development of hydrogen infrastructure will be promoted.

Dr André Walter, Head of Airbus Commercial Germany, said, “For Airbus, hydrogen is a key technology for the aviation industry of the future. This is not only about the propulsion of aircraft, but also about the infrastructure of our production site.”

ArcelorMittal

ArcelorMittal’s Hamburg plant will be converted to climate-neutral steel production in four steps by 2030 as part of the Hamburg (H2H) project, including developing a hydrogen-powered demonstration plant for the direct reduction of iron ore (H2First) and the technological upgrading of the existing direct reduction plant (H2Ready) to replace the long-term use of natural gas with green hydrogen.

Dr Uwe Braun, CEO ArcelorMittal Hamburg, said, “To ensure the supply of green hydrogen, we rely on the local hydrogen industry network and a significant proportion of hydrogen from the Hamburg Green Hydrogen Hub.”

Gasnetz Hamburg

By 2030, the company plans to build a supply-safe infrastructure for the hydrogen needs of Hamburg’s industrial sector and its national and European network through the project “Hamburger Hydrogen-Industrie-Net” (HH-WIN).

Hydrogen infrastructure is the central link connecting all of these projects, and the project will be developed and implemented on a demand-driven basis and in stages.

Christian Heine, MD of the Hamburg gas network, said, “Thanks to local electrolysis, sea-side imports and the connection to the emerging European hydrogen network as well as the neighbouring North German hydrogen production centres, our hydrogen network will be able to replace about 570 million cubic meters of natural gas per year and thus save 1.2 million tonnes of CO2.”

GreenPlug

Through its “H2 Schubboot“ (H2SB) project, the company has designed an emissions-free pusher boat with the power to move 2,400 tonnes at a speed of 10 knots. The propulsion system consists of pressurised hydrogen storage tanks and fuel cells with buffer batteries that drive the ship’s propellers via a direct current network. As the first step of this project, GreenPlug plans to build and test a pusher boat, followed by building a further nine boats and charter them to operators.

Dr Agnus Cassens, CEO of GreenPlug, said, “This innovative project will strengthen the market in the design, construction and operation of ships for inland waterways, especially for those using hydrogen and fuel cell technology. We will buy green hydrogen as soon as it is available.”

Hamburger Hafen und Logistik

The port and logistics company HHLA (Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG) plans to put various types of fuel cell heavy-duty vehicles into operation at its terminals in Hamburg (Straddle Carrier, trucks, terminal tractors, forklift trucks, empty container handlers and a shunting locomotive).

Lars Neumann from Hamburg Hafen und Logistik AG said, “If the project is successful, we see the potential to apply the experience from Hamburg widely at our other German and numerous European sites to make a significant contribution to the decarbonisation of European logistics.”

Hamburg Port Authority

With the Hydrogen Port Applications (HyPA) project, the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) is setting two different priorities as an infrastructure provider and enabler for roads, railways, and waterways Hamburg. The transformation of mobility into the post-carbon era is aimed, on the one hand, at the provision of hydrogen fueling stations for locomotives, ships and trucks and, on the other, at the construction and use of innovative hydrogen-powered vessels.

HADAG Seetouristik und Fährdienst AG

As the operator of public passenger ferries in the port of Hamburg, the public company of the Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg plans the use of emission-free vessels in its fleet. The H2HADAG project envisages the conversion of three new ships from diesel-hybrid to hydrogen-hybrid and the addition of two completely new ships (hydrogen-hybrid).

Stadtreinigung Hamburg

The Hamburg City Council is building the Center for Resources and Energy in Hamburg, Stellingen. The project “Waste to Hydrogen for Hamburg” intends to use energy from the thermal recovery of non-recyclable residual materials together with the transport companies Hamburg-Holstein, Heat Hamburg, Gas Network Hamburg and Hamburg. This electricity is to be used for electrolysis and charge batteries for e-mobility.