The Oldenburg-based energy service provider EWE and the steel and technology group Salzgitter AG intend to cooperate on the subject of hydrogen. This was announced by the CEOs Stefan Dohler (EWE) and Gunnar Groebler (Salzgitter AG) in Salzgitter - on the fringes of the Handelsblatt hydrogen summit they signed the corresponding declaration of intent.
In the course of the planned cooperation, EWE and Salzgitter AG have agreed that EWE will produce and supply green hydrogen, which Salzgitter AG will use for virtually CO2-free steel production.
Salzgitter AG will convert its crude steel production to low CO2 steel production in three stages by 2033 as part of SALCOS® - Salzgitter Low CO2 Steelmaking. According to Groebler, this will save 95 % of the current annual emissions of 8 million tonnes of CO2 in the future.
"Salzgitter AG is thus making a strong contribution to the decarbonisation of industry and the German climate targets," said the Salzgitter AG CEO.
Lower Saxony's Minister President Stephan Weil welcomes the cooperation between the two companies.
Stefan Dohler cites the IPCEI Clean Hydrogen Coastline project as the starting point for EWE's large-scale hydrogen production: "We want to build up to 400 MW of electrolysis capacity in several sub-projects at system-serving locations near the German North Sea coast. Depending on the sales market, we can thus produce up to 40,000 t of green hydrogen annually and reliably structure it via cavern storage. In addition, there is the possibility of expanding the production capacities into the gigawatt scale over the next ten years in line with demand."
By positioning the planned production plants at important offshore connection points, there is also the long-term possibility of integrating the import of green hydrogen. However, this would require a speedy funding approval at the European level.
(Source: EWE/Salzgitter/2023)
