Green hydrogen gigahub opens in Hamburg

Uwe Lauber, CEO of MAN Energy Solutions: “Today we are giving the go-ahead for the most modern production plant in the hydrogen economy in the whole of Europe." The gigahub is one of the most advanced R&D centres for electrolysis technologies in Europe, according to Robin von Plettenberg, CEO of Quest One. When fully expanded, the new gigahub will lead to the automated, serial production of PEM stacks with a potential total electrolysis capacity of over five gigawatts per annum. Stacks are the technological heart of electrolyzers and split water into oxygen and hydrogen using renewable electricity. "Serial production should reduce the production time here in Rahlstedt by 75 per cent. This is a real milestone for the rapid hydrogen ramp-up and shows what is possible in our country,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed.

Von Plettenberg, remarked: “The hydrogen economy is set to transform dramatically in the coming years and decades, reaching volumes we can scarcely imagine today." The electrolysis industry is at forefront of this development and hydrogen could become available in large quantities, making it a reliable alternative to fossil fuels. "Quest One is on a mission to avoid 1 per cent of global CO2 emissions by 2050," he added. Peter Tschentscher, Mayor of Hamburg, noted: "Hamburg is becoming a leading hydrogen location in Germany. Together with our international energy partners, we are strengthening the Port of Hamburg as an important transshipment point for hydrogen in Europe."

Built on a 26,000 square-metre site in Hamburg-Rahlstedt, the gigahub is a joint venture between Garbe Industrial Real Estate GmbH and the Jebens Group backed by Hamburg Invest business development agency. Bernd Ringe, Project Manager and Team Coordinator at Hamburg Invest, said: "We are delighted to have contributed to this project by finding and securing the right location in Victoria Park in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region. This milestone underlines our commitment to supporting innovative, forward-looking projects that strengthen Hamburg as a leading hub of green hydrogen technology." Automated stack production is part of the PEP.IN research project. It is being funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research's H2Giga flagship project to make green hydrogen affordable and competitive. Read more about green hydrogen on future.hamburg.
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