Germany, UK seek to expand cooperation on offshore wind-based hydrogen

Germany and the UK aim to cooperate on the expansion of green hydrogen production and the creation of a viable marketplace for it as both an energy source and as a means to store energy, federal foreign trade agency Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI) said in a report by news agency dpa published in business daily Handelsblatt. The idea is to “establish an industrial hydrogen market based on the model of the British offshore wind industry,” the agency said. Hydrogen could also be exported to the EU. Hydrogen is seen as a key solution in combating the climate crisis and is expected to play a central role in the transition to a climate-friendly economy, particularly in heavy industry such as the steel sector. Currently, most of the hydrogen already used in Germany is imported. The UK made the expansion of renewable energy part of a national hydrogen strategy unveiled two years ago. Expanding hydrogen production is seen as an important step towards achieving the UK’s zero emissions target by 2050. Several German business delegations have travelled to Scotland in recent months. “There are high hopes, especially in Scotland, that the direct export of hydrogen to the EU could not only open up lucrative sources of income, but also accelerate the transition from fossil fuels,” the article said. While political leaders in Scotland support hydrogen deliveries to Germany, the UK government in London is eager maintain its control over hydrogen exports, the newspaper added.

Renewable energy proponents, meanwhile, have recently called for greater domestic production of green hydrogen in order to scale up Germany’s hydrogen economy, to reduce the country’s dependence on costly imports.