EWE AG and VERBUND AG have founded a joint venture to develop the "CHC Elektrolyse JadeWeser" project in the Wesermarsch, which the partners describe as one of the leading integrated hydrogen hubs in Europe and an important contribution to building an integrated European hydrogen economy.

The project will be carried by a dedicated project company established through EWE Hydrogen GmbH and VERBUND Green Hydrogen GmbH.

A 500-megawatt electrolyser with 50,000 tonnes of annual capacity

At the core of the undertaking is an electrolyser with a capacity of up to 500 megawatts and a planned production capacity of around 50,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year.

The facility is to be connected to the future German hydrogen core network and, according to current expectations, could supply green hydrogen to industry, mobility, and the energy sector from the year 2032.

Through the combination of generation, storage, and grid connection, the partners say the project carries high strategic significance for the hydrogen ramp-up in Germany and Europe.

Partnership formed in a consolidating hydrogen market

The joint venture is being established at a stage in which the hydrogen market is increasingly consolidating.

Following the first years of market ramp-up, the partners observe that projects are most likely to succeed when they combine technological competence with robust infrastructure, secured sites, strong financing partners, and concrete marketing prospects.

EWE and VERBUND are bundling complementary competencies along the entire hydrogen value chain for the joint project. Together, the partners already have hydrogen projects with a capacity of around 400 megawatts that are either under implementation or in operation.

Stefan Dohler, Chairman of the Board of EWE AG, said the joint venture creates the foundation for implementing one of the most strategically important hydrogen projects in northern Germany.

He noted that successful market ramp-up continues to require regulatory adjustments, such as the EU's RFNBO requirements, and that strong partnerships are also needed.

According to Dohler, VERBUND and EWE have gathered extensive experience in large-scale hydrogen projects in recent years, which they are now combining to support the successful implementation of the project.

A European orientation for supply security and decarbonisation

The Elektrolyse JadeWeser project is a central element of the joint hydrogen strategy of both companies and is deliberately oriented toward Europe.

Through its connection to the German hydrogen core network and its prospective integration into future European hydrogen corridors, the project is intended to contribute to supply security, the integration of European energy markets, and the achievement of European climate goals.

At the same time, the production of green hydrogen based on domestically generated renewable energy is expected to strengthen European autonomy and, in the long term, reduce dependence on fossil energy imports.

According to the partners, the project thus supports the development of a resilient, sovereign, and competitive European energy system.

Michael Strugl, CEO of VERBUND AG, said the energy transition needs powerful European partnerships.

He described the joint venture as combining the strengths of two established energy companies and creating the conditions for a secure and competitive supply of green hydrogen, calling JadeWeser an important building block of a future European hydrogen economy.

Site advantages in Nordenham underpin the project

The partners regard the special strength of the project as lying in its site and infrastructure quality. Land in the southern part of the town of Nordenham in the Wesermarsch has been secured on a long-term basis.

In the immediate vicinity is a powerful 380-kV grid connection point with expansion potential into the gigawatt range, as well as the future hydrogen core network.

Additional advantages include secured water availability, existing industrial infrastructure, and proximity to important industrial, mobility, and import corridors, such as the future A20 motorway.

A decisive advantage, according to the partners, is access to hydrogen cavern storage facilities, or the immediate proximity to corresponding storage infrastructure.

This will allow hydrogen to be stored flexibly in the future and delivered according to demand, strengthening supply security and creating the conditions for a market-oriented and competitive hydrogen supply.

Jost Ahrens, Managing Director of VERBUND Green Hydrogen GmbH, said that with the JadeWeser project, one of the best infrastructurally positioned hydrogen projects in Europe is emerging.

He described the site as symbolic of the energy-economic transformation in Europe, noting that an industrial hub for the production of green hydrogen is being created next to a former nuclear power plant, providing excellent conditions for an economic and secure hydrogen supply.

An integrated approach intended to raise the likelihood of realisation

Tobias Moldenhauer, Managing Director of EWE Hydrogen GmbH, said that with CHC Elektrolyse JadeWeser the company can contribute to building a powerful hydrogen economy and actively drive forward the development of a large-scale hydrogen project, while the market ramp-up does not depend on technological progress alone.

For projects with long development and investment cycles, he said, reliable regulatory, economic, and infrastructural framework conditions are decisive.

These include, in particular, the electricity procurement conditions referenced in the source material, which form part of the framework the partners consider essential for realising such large-scale projects.

The joint venture thus combines generation, storage, and grid integration at a single secured location, an approach the partners say increases the project's probability of realisation and positions it among the most strategically significant hydrogen undertakings in northern Germany and, by extension, Europe.

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