Germany – Industry demands more speed and clarity for hydrogen projects.
The industry in Baden-Württemberg demands more speed and clarity from the state government on the climate-relevant topic of hydrogen. Above all, it is important that the required hydrogen is also available, said the spokesman of the Task Force Hydrogen in the Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BWIHK), Jan Stefan Roell, the German press Agency.
Jan Stefan Roel:
Companies need to be sure that it will be available in quantities when it is needed.
The supply must be there before the demand. So far, however, there have been no figures.
On request, the Ministry of Environment and Energy refers to a study that has not yet been published, according to which the hydrogen demand of industry in Baden-Württemberg in 2020 was 3.1 terawatt hours.
“If you compare this demand with the current generation capacities in Baden-Württemberg by electrolysis, the latter are significantly lower,” said a spokeswoman. When the study is ready, it will also contain forecasts for the year 2035.
Hydrogen is important for the energy transition and can be the basis for fuels. It is intended to replace coal, oil and natural gas for industry and transport, for example.
The state government adopted a “hydrogen roadmap” at the end of 2020 and assumes that around 16,000 new jobs will be created in connection with hydrogen in the southwest and that nine billion euros in sales can be generated in 2030. Hydrogen is considered “green” if it is produced from renewable energies by means of electrolysis, for example.
From Roell’s point of view, however, the green should first be secondary. “You have to accept other colors at the beginning so that there is any movement in the market at all.” The BWIHK Vice President is convinced that the companies are further along than politicians believe.
They understood that phasing out CO2-heavy energy sources and switching to sustainable alternatives is a growth opportunity: “You won’t get a customer anymore if you’re an environmental pig.”
In addition to availability, it is important that the price of hydrogen can keep up with that of fossil alternatives, Roell said. In addition, regulatory hurdles would have to be lowered and approval procedures significantly accelerated. “We must not run behind, but must be there or, better still, be pioneers.” However, the current procedures did not fit.
“The approval of a wind turbine takes longer than a legislative period.” Those responsible today are therefore already out of office when in doubt is completed. The federal and state governments have announced that they want to step on the accelerator here.
For example, with a view to a demonstration plant for new types of fuel on the site of the Upper Rhine mineral oil refinery, the Ministry of Transport had complained that several years of waiting time for subsidies from the EU and federal authorities were too long.
The Ministry of the Environment, on the other hand, has now pointed out that it is lobbying the federal government for simplified approval procedures for so-called low-power electrolysers. “In addition, we are in close contact with the government presidencies, which are the responsible approval authorities,” said the spokeswoman. In this way, problems should be detected quickly and smooth processes should be made possible.
From the point of view of the BWIHK, this is not enough: “The state government has the possibilities to speed things up by making laws for important things,” said Roell.
“Citizen participation should be steered in the necessary direction and the role of parliament strengthened.” In order to provide information on hydrogen developments at EU, federal and state level and to name companies, for example, contact persons, the BWIHK launched the website www.taskforce-wasserstoff.info on Wednesday.
It is also important to conclude contracts now with partners in the EU such as Italy and Spain, where green hydrogen can be produced, according to Roell. Germany will have to import it due to the weather conditions.
Roell sees no problem in principle: “If you buy gas and oil today, you can also buy hydrogen tomorrow.” Especially since it also benefits the European partner countries if the money flows there instead of to Russia. But the necessary infrastructure must also be built: “There is nothing there yet.” Thanks for staying up to date with Hydrogen Central.
There was backing from the opposition in the state parliament: “Instead of brooding over new restrictions on citizen participation in the expansion of wind power in waking nights and oversleeping the future of our energy supply, the state government would do well to finally create the right political framework conditions to secure effective climate protection, sustainable jobs and sustainable prosperity with hydrogen,” said the energy policy spokesman of the FDP parliamentary group, Frank Bonath.
With their helplessness and their constant references to Berlin and Brussels, Green-Black endangers the energy transition and the future viability of Baden-Württemberg as an industrial and business location.
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