Berlin, 9 May 2023

Network and Discussion Arena on National Issues Concerning the Energy Transition

On Tuesday more than 300 guests from the fields of business and politics met at an annual conference to present and discuss national issues related to the energy transition, hosted by the ENERGY HUB Port of Wilhelmshaven in Berlin’s government district. A study recently published by the German Energy Agency (dena) provided the event’s core messages: the location of the Jade-Weser region offers unique infrastructural and geological benefits along with tremendous potential for development. According to conservative estimates – and depending on transportation capacities – the region could meet up to 61% of Germany’s hydrogen needs by 2031 alone.

In four discussion rounds and several keynote speeches held at the Representative Office of the State of Lower Saxony in Berlin, experts took an intense look at the most pressing issues and challenges. Under the headings 'How can we maintain Deutschlandgeschwindigkeit, the new German speed?’ and ‘Infrastructure and energy imports as matters of national interest’, it became very clear that the upcoming transformation process requires a transparent political and legal framework that needs to integrate the experiences gathered over the course of the LNG acceleration process.

The ENERGY HUB Port of Wilhelmshaven has the potential to become a key contributor to the market ramp-up of hydrogen. If every hydrogen production plant planned by the member companies in the Jade-Weser region were operated at maximum capacity, they would produce at least 194 and up to 374 tonnes of hydrogen an hour in 2031 – a good 60% of the predicted German demand.