Energy provider EWE has made the investment decision for a 280-MW hydrogen plant. The project in Emden is set to be completed by 2027. Siemens Energy will supply the PEM electrolyzer, which is expected to produce up to 26,000 tons of green hydrogen annually. The total investment amounts to over 800 million euros.
As EWE announced on Thursday (July 25), the core of the facility is a 280-MW electrolyzer from Siemens Energy. Including peripherals such as compressors and cooling systems, the entire plant is expected to have an average power consumption of about 320 megawatts over its lifetime. The electrolyzer is based on PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) technology. The two companies have also signed a ten-year service contract.
The construction is one of four sub-projects of Clean Hydrogen Coastline. It is part of the Hy2Infra wave of the IPCEI (Important Project of Common European Interest) initiative. On July 15, representatives from the federal government and the state of Lower Saxony presented the corresponding funding notification. According to EWE, the company plans investments of over 800 million euros for the entire project.
Siemens Energy Supplies PEM Electrolyzer
EWE CEO Stefan Dohler emphasized the project's importance for regional and national value creation. The decision for the Berlin-based manufacturer was made after a twelve-month selection process involving ten international electrolysis manufacturers. The energy group first announced the project in November 2022.
Anne-Laure de Chammard, board member of Siemens Energy, described the project as an important building block for the ramp-up of the green hydrogen industry in Germany. de Chammard highlighted that only the recently promised funding from the federal government made strategically important large-scale projects like this possible.
According to EWE, the planned hydrogen production could save around 800,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually if used in the steel industry. Siemens Energy manufactures the electrolysis stacks at its new factory in Berlin, which the company commissioned with Air Liquide last November.
