At the „Hydrogen transformation NRW - NOW!“ conference held on 6 June, participants called for more exchange and coordination between politicians, companies and network operators and faster approval procedures. The background to this is the lack of planning certainty for municipalities, local energy suppliers and small and medium-sized industry.
DVGW NRW, Bauindustrieverband NRW, Rohrleitungsbauverband and the communications agency Cyrano had invited participants to the conference at the training centre of the Berufsförderungswerk der Bauindustrie NRW in Oberhausen.
Right at the beginning, Daniel Strücker, President of the Bauindustrieverbands NRW, emphasised in his welcome address the urgency of answering open questions and solving problems „in the transformation steps“. In order to identify and clarify these unresolved issues, it is crucial to „plan today what is to be built tomorrow“, added Ralph Donath, President of the Pipeline Construction Association. „Communication and coordination are the key to this.“
Other positions emphasise the urgent need for action at various levels
- „Distribution grids for hydrogen will be crucial in order to give companies the opportunity to use this important energy source for the energy transition“, emphasised Volker Neumann, Chairman of the DVGW NRW regional group, during the panel discussion. He was also reacting to the plans of the Federal Ministry of Economics, which are aiming to massively dismantle inner-city distribution grids on the basis of the „Green Paper Transformation Gas/Hydrogen Distribution Grids“.
- „Our grids are suitable for hydrogen. It would be fatal to give away this advantage“, says Andreas Breuer, Head of Regional Technology/Asset Management at the major distribution grid operator Westnetz. It is now important to gather information from the municipalities „in order to know what is needed“.
- Armin Loth, Technical Director of Siegener Versorgungsbetriebe (SVB), also emphasises that this exchange is essential: „In South Westphalia, we are in a white spot both in terms of the hydrogen core network and geothermal energy.“ However, there is an urgent need for a connection to a hydrogen supply. „There is no other way to decarbonise local industry. If companies relocate because of this, we will lose their waste heat for the district heating network.“
- „The use of hydrogen must not be limited to high temperatures such as those in steelworks“, demands Wolfgang Jung, Managing Director of the Wissenschaftspark Gelsenkirchen. The role that hydrogen plays for small and medium-sized industry in particular should not be ignored. „Above all, companies that require temperatures between 200-500 degrees for their production can and want to benefit from hydrogen.“
Consensus between industry representatives and the state government
In a video message addressed to the conference participants by NRW Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Protection Mona Neubaur, she emphasised that the state government is pursuing the same goal: „We need to move from planning to implementation. And we need to do it now. An important goal is therefore to speed up the approval process.“
Dr. Nicole Grünewald, President of the IHK Köln, urged that these promises be kept. The ongoing uncertainty could otherwise become a location risk: „Companies are no longer investing here, which is a major disadvantage for NRW and Germany.“
In order to further deepen the positions presented and to develop solutions together with all stakeholders, the organisers decided to offer further activities for joint exchange afterwards in order to help the H2 transformation in NRW to succeed.
