Exciting news from our partners in Wesermarsch! Their Hydrogen Alliance H2Marsch and participation in INTERREG North Sea GRITH project has been honoured with the Innovation Award by the German coalition ‘Powerhouse Nord’. This regional coalition is aiming to strengthen the development of the Ems-Elbe as a hotspot in the energy transition.
Cohesion expands H2 network
H2Marsch is an initiative of the companies in Wesermarsch, coordinated by the Economic Development Agency. Mayor Stephan Siefken explains: "With this award, we are highlighting the cohesion and entrepreneurial power that is shaping and advancing our region in the energy transition. Through political intervention last year, H2Marsch succeeded in expanding the hydrogen core network planned by the federal government to include a pipeline from Huntorf to Nordenham. That was a significant success."
Energy network
Spokesperson for the Hydrogen Alliance Tim Eshold (Head of Energy at Glencore) accepted the award, which was presented on behalf of the district council. Besides Glencore, other industrial partners active in the energy network include KRONOS TITAN, Airbus Aerostructures, DMK Deutsches Milchkontor and companies responsible for setting up the necessary infrastructure (e.g. USG-Blexen and EWE Gasspeicher GmbH).
The H2Marsch collaboration wins the Innovation Award
Creating jobs, reducing emissions
For the hydrogen alliance, around 500 gigawatt hours (GWh) of hydrogen is to be procured in the future, replacing fossil fuels. Currently, there is a regional fossil energy consumption of around 1,100 GWh. Approximately 50% of this is to be electrified and the remainder to be provided by hydrogen (13,000 tonnes of hydrogen). "With a successful transformation of the industry, an estimated 6,000 jobs can be secured in the Wesermarsch and 240,000 tons of CO2 emissions can be reduced annually in the future," emphasized the Mayor
Tobias Busch
GRITH & the Hydrogen Alliance
The activities of the Hydrogen Alliance are sturdily embedded in the running GRITH project. Representing our partner Wirtschaftsförderung Wesermarsch, Network Manager Tobias Busch and Senior supervisor Jörg Wilke are pleased with the recognition this award brings: “Industrial hotspots can play a pioneering role in the energy transition.
Here, the Wesermarsch Economic Development Agency plays an important role, contributing its findings from the cooperation with the H2Marsch cluster to the GRITH project,” says Tobias. “This also establishes the Wesermarsch as a hotspot in a European renewable energy context while, at the same time, all stakeholders benefit from the partners' advanced experience in the development of sustainable energy solutions."