Uniper and energy service provider EWE have signed an agreement to set up a hydrogen hub in Huntorf, Lower Saxony. The companies plan to generate hydrogen using wind power in Huntorf, store it there and create transport facilities to make it available to industry and the mobility sector.

The site's potential for expansion is currently estimated at up to 300 MW, with the individual expansion stages focused on hydrogen sales volume. As the project develops, one point of focus will be ensuring that the cooperating parties interact closely with hydrogen customers and their projects on site. By mid-decade, the project may have already seen its first customers be supplied with hydrogen.

The cooperation between Uniper and EWE at the Huntorf site also offers the possibility of using hydrogen in highly efficient compressed air energy storage (CAES) in the future. This means we can already start making the necessary preparations for solving the "Dunkelflaute problem" in the future energy system, which will be predominantly based on fluctuating renewable power generation.

"With Uniper operating a CAES power plant at the Huntorf site and EWE running a cavern storage facility for natural gas in the immediate vicinity, the project is set up to succeed in terms of location," said EWE CEO Stefan Dohler. "In the future, cavern storage facilities could also be used for hydrogen storage, and existing natural gas pipelines could transport hydrogen. EWE is currently gaining extensive experience by participating in various projects, for example the HyCavMobil research project on the use of salt caverns for hydrogen storage. HyWays For Future is already the first market for green hydrogen in the transport sector."