Federal Minister Robert Habeck: "Expand cooperation on hydrogen with United Arab Emirates" – Important hydrogen projects agreed between German business and representatives of the UAE –

The visit by Vice-Chancellor and Climate and Energy Minister Robert Habeck to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 21 March 2022 aims to strengthen and accelerate the cooperation on hydrogen between Germany and the UAE. Four hydrogen cooperation projects with German business and one research cooperation project were agreed during his visit today. The UAE offers very good preconditions for a low-cost production of hydrogen from renewable energy and wishes to enable the first deliveries of hydrogen to Germany to take place in 2022. This means that the projects which have been supported in the context of the Emirati-German Energy Partnership will be able to make a specific contribution to ensuring a future supply of energy in the form of climate-friendly hydrogen.

Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck said: "The accelerated expansion of hydrogen supply chains is key to the transition to sustainable energy. I welcome the planned collaboration between the German and Emirati companies and the cooperation on research between Fraunhofer and the Energy Ministry of the United Arab Emirates. There is a great need for research and direct implementation especially as regards the production, storage and transport of green hydrogen in the UAE and its import to and use in Germany. The cooperation projects agreed today will therefore make a contribution in two ways: they will help us reach our climate targets and strengthen our energy security."

Germany wishes to further speed up the transition from conventional natural gas to green hydrogen. In the context of the National Hydrogen Strategy as part of our decarbonisation campaign, we want to create a demand for clean hydrogen totalling up to 3 million tonnes per year by 2030 with the bulk being imported. Demand is expected to increase to more than 11 million tonnes per year by 2050. The Emirati-German Energy Partnership was established in 2017.

Details of the projects:

The UAE already has advanced hydrogen projects involving German firms. Several agreements on cooperation to build up a comprehensive hydrogen value chain between German companies and the UAE are to be signed during Minister Habeck’s visit:

Establishment of a hydrogen supply chain to Germany and first trial shipments

• The partners Hydrogenious, ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company), JERA and Uniper will enter into a joint demonstration project for the transport of hydrogen. The aim is to build up a supply chain for green hydrogen from the UAE to Wilhelmshaven based on LOHC technology. (LOHC technology uses liquid organic hydrogen carriers, organic compounds that can absorb and release hydrogen.) Initially, “blue” hydrogen is to be used; this will quickly be replaced by “green” hydrogen.
• Furthermore, with regard to future shipments of hydrogen and its derivatives, ADNOC has signed take-off contracts for the first trial shipments of blue ammonia to Germany with Aurubis, the copper manufacturer, and the energy companies RWE, Steag and GEWEC.
• In order to make the trial cargo possible, the transport chain for blue ammonia is also to be prepared via the signing of an agreement on cooperation between ADNOC and Hamburger Hafen & Logistik AG (HHLA). The pilot project for the blue ammonia transport chain to Germany lays an important foundation stone for medium-term imports of green hydrogen.

Projects for the manufacture of synthetic kerosene
Siemens Energy and Lufthansa are working with the UAE-based renewable energy company Masdar and other partners on a project to manufacture synthetic kerosene, entitled “Green Falcon”. At present, synthetic kerosene is the only way to decarbonise aviation. An expansion of the Green Falcon pilot project with a 20 MW electrolysis capacity would be feasible following a successful first phase. Germany and the UAE have agreed to jointly support the project.

Research collaboration on the energy transition and hydrogen
The Fraunhofer Society and the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure of the UAE are concluding an agreement on cooperation in order to deepen the exchange of expertise in the field of sustainable energy and applied hydrogen technology. The agreement covers advice on the UAE’s national energy strategy, support with the establishment of research infrastructure, and joint projects, e.g. in the field of sustainable energy and applied hydrogen technology.