BP plans green hydrogen hub on Germany's North Sea coast

BP Plc (LON:BP) will explore the construction of a new hydrogen hub on Germany's North Sea coast in Wilhelmshaven that would provide up to 130,000 tonnes of hydrogen annually from green ammonia, starting in 2028.

Under BP's plan, green ammonia will be delivered to Wilhelmshaven from the British oil and gas giant's green hydrogen projects. The fuel will be then converted into green hydrogen by a cracker which will be built in the port city to split the ammonia molecule into nitrogen and hydrogen.

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The plant's initial capacity of up to 130,000 tonnes of hydrogen per year could be expanded if demand for new fuels grows, BP said on Monday.

The existing infrastructure of the Nord-West Oelleitung (NWO) terminal in Wilhelmshaven, in which BP is already involved as a shareholder, will serve as a basis for the project. The terminal is linked to a deep-water port and a pipeline network, which makes it an important pillar for the energy transition in Germany.

BP also plans to use existing oil pipelines and repurpose existing gas pipeline infrastructure to transport hydrogen to customers in the Ruhr area and other centres of demand.

The import facility will complement the group's global hydrogen project portfolio. The British giant is developing a number of sites for hydrogen production and ammonia export in the Middle East, Africa and Australia which could meet part of the European demand.

Commenting on the plan, Lower Saxony's state minister of environment, Christian Meyer, said that the state must ensure affordable, climate-neutral and secure energy supply in order to be competitive as an industrial location in the long term and the BP hydrogen hub in Wilhelmshaven could play an important role in this process.

BP is already involved in other hydrogen projects in Germany such as the Get H2 Nukleus and Lingen Green Hydrogen initiatives which are meant to support the decarbonisation of energy-intensive sectors such as the chemical and steel industries.