Boost for the hydrogen industry in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Letter of intent signed to connect the Baltic Sea ports of Rostock and Lubmin and link them to the Berlin/Brandenburg and Halle/Leipzig/Leuna consumption regions.
Rostock. GASCADE Gastransport GmbH (GASCADE) and rostock EnergyPort cooperation GmbH (REPCO) are joining forces to accelerate the ramp-up of the hydrogen industry in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The two companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to drive forward the development of the Baltic coastal region for green energies. On this basis, REPCO’s HyTechHafen Rostock hydrogen production project and the Rostock region as well as the industrial port of Lubmin are to be connected to the greater Berlin/Brandenburg area and the Halle/Leipzig/Leuna industrial area via GASCADE’s hydrogen pipelines Rostock-Wrangelsburg and Flow – making hydrogen happen.
“In the medium term in particular, the combination of the expansion prospects in the Rostock hydrogen region with production at the Lubmin site, together with the transportation of hydrogen to the main areas of consumption in the Berlin/Brandenburg or Halle/Leipzig/Leuna areas, will be able to make an important contribution to opening up eastern German conurbations for hydrogen,” explains Ludger Hümbs, Head of Corporate Development at GASCADE.
“We are convinced that this integrative approach is the right way to address the challenges associated with the energy transition and, in particular, to cover the energy demand from renewable energies. We consider the cooperation on the projects in the Baltic Sea coast region to be very important because it will enable us to meet the key requirements for the establishment of a hydrogen hub in north-eastern Germany,” says Dr. Ralf Tschullik, Managing Director of REPCO.
In the spirit of cooperation for a rapid ramp-up of the hydrogen industry, GASCADE and REPCO are aiming to connect the HyTechHafen Rostock project via the Rostock-Wrangelsburg hydrogen pipeline, which is around 120 kilometers long. The connection is to be completed by 2028 and will serve as the starting point for the distribution of climate-neutral hydrogen. The regions around Rostock and Lubmin offer the best conditions for producing and importing green hydrogen. A Rostock-Wrangelsburg connection and the Flow – making hydrogen happen hydrogen transport system can therefore simultaneously tap into regional potential in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and for the whole of Germany and Europe.
About GASCADE
GASCADE Gastransport GmbH operates a Germany-wide gas pipeline network. The Kassel-based network company offers its customers modern and competitive transport services for natural gas and, in future, other gases in the heart of Europe via its own high-pressure pipeline network, which is around 3,700 kilometers long. GASCADE is pursuing the goal of gradually converting its pipeline network to the transportation of hydrogen and is therefore active in several onshore and offshore hydrogen projects.
About REPCO
The company rostock EnergyPort cooperation GmbH, founded in July 2022, has set itself the goal of advancing the establishment and expansion of a sustainable green production and distribution structure for hydrogen. To this end, an electrolysis plant for the production of climate-neutral (green) hydrogen is to be built in the seaport of Rostock and the hydrogen produced will then be fed into a supra-regional distribution network as well as made available to local consumers.