Wintershall Dea and VNG AG signed an agreement to cooperate more closely in the field of hydrogen in the future, and are planning to build a facility to produce climate-friendly ‘turquoise’ hydrogen.

The thermal methane pyrolysis process used by HiiROC, in which both companies recently invested, is to be used and further developed for a specific application together with the facility manufacturer. According to current plans, the pilot facility will go into operation in 2023 and have a nominal capacity of 400 kg of hydrogen per day (equivalent to an annual energy output of almost 5 GWh). This will make the facility the first of its kind to produce so-called turquoise hydrogen in Germany. The companies are already in talks with potential customers for the produced hydrogen, and about a possible location in eastern Germany.

In the methane pyrolysis process, the natural gas is split into hydrogen and solid carbon at high temperatures. The hydrogen can then be used as a decarbonised energy source. The solid carbon, on the other hand, can be used as a valuable raw material in industry, for example in road or building construction.

"Both project partners see great potential in the production of hydrogen through methane pyrolysis. This cooperation with VNG will help realize the technology’s potential and establish a hydrogen market, because markets don't happen by themselves. They have to be built and organized – technology neutral," said Hugo Dijkgraaf, CTO at Wintershall Dea VNG.

Wintershall Dea and VNG are already involved in various hydrogen projects. As part of their cooperation, the two companies have already made an initial investment in a technology partner, HiiROC. Based in Hull in England, this European start-up has further developed methane pyrolysis technology, to accelerate cost-effective and climate-friendly hydrogen production.