Shell, Uniper sign hydrogen MoU

Units of Anglo-Dutch oil and gas company Royal Dutch Shell (AMS:RDSA) and German energy company Uniper SE (ETR:UN01) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on hydrogen initiatives in Europe, Uniper said today.

Shell Gas & Power Developments BV and Uniper Hydrogen GmbH have teamed up to search for opportunities to link industrial and mobility demand to hydrogen supply, production and storage. They will start with studying potential synergies to speed up existing projects in Germany, the Netherlands and possibly other countries in Europe.

"Our mission is to connect Uniper’s large scale hydrogen projects - e.g. in the Netherlands and in Northern Germany - with industrial customers to enable a decarbonisation of our economy," said Axel Wietfeld, chief executive, Uniper Hydrogen. "By way of hydrogen Uniper provides a CO2-free solution of how to transport the abundant renewable electricity from coastal regions and from offshore wind farms to the inland," Wietfeld added.

The partnership will focus on exploring options for large-scale transport of hydrogen and carbon dioxide (CO2) from the ports of Rotterdam and Wilhelmshaven to North Rhine Westphalia, Germany’s industrial heartland.

The companies will also look into Shell’s transformation of its Rheinland refinery in Germany into an energy and chemicals park. The site is home to Shell’s newly opened 10-MW PEM electrolyser, the largest of its kind in Europe, which is planned to be expanded to 100 MW.

Uniper said it will examine the supply of hydrogen from its existing production sites at Rotterdam and Wilhelmshaven to Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rheinland. Uniper also plans to connect its power plant in Gelsenkirchen Scholven and some large-scale customers with its coastal hydrogen production plants.

Choose your newsletter by Renewables Now. Join for free!