Shell, RheinEnergie and HGK aim to establish hydrogen in North Rhine-Westphalia

Another step for the energy transition in North Rhine-Westphalia. RheinEnergie AG from Cologne and the Ports and Goods Transport Cologne AG (HGK) have agreed on a close collaboration with Shell. Together with the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rheinland, the two companies want to explore opportunities for establishing a regional hydrogen economy in the Rhineland region.

(Cologne/Wesseling) The focus is on environmentally friendly energy generation and supply as well as forward-looking mobility and logistics concepts, possibly including public transport. The use of CO2-free hydrogen is expected to play a key role. Shell recently inaugurated one of the largest facilities for the production of green hydrogen at the Energy and Chemicals Park Rheinland and plans to significantly expand production capacities for this sustainable energy form in the coming years.

A letter of intent with specific agreements has been signed by Dr. Dieter Steinkamp, Chairman of the Board of RheinEnergie AG, Uwe Wedig, Chairman of the Board of HGK AG, Dr. Fabian Ziegler, Managing Director of Shell Deutschland GmbH, and Dr. Marco Richrath, General Manager of the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rheinland.

Collaboration in multiple areas

The collaboration will take place in several areas. Part of the agreement includes access for the participating companies to green hydrogen from the Shell electrolyzer in Wesseling, which was inaugurated just a few days ago. Furthermore, there will be an active exchange of knowledge around hydrogen topics. A “test environment” will be created to gain insights for hydrogen production, as well as for transport and refueling. Goods logistics and domestic shipping will play an important role in this. Together, the three partners also want to approach end customers with hydrogen-based business models.

The plan includes the development of new products in cooperation with companies under the umbrella of the Cologne public utilities, as well as other public utilities in the region. Last but not least, a joint working and development platform will identify at which interfaces RheinEnergie, HGK, and Shell can cooperate in the production and distribution of hydrogen through respective customer relationships and regional networks.

Investment in forward-looking hydrogen technology

“We are very pleased to have RheinEnergie and HGK as partners by our side, with whom we can actively drive the energy transition and industrial transformation in North Rhine-Westphalia,” explains Dr. Marco Richrath. “Investments in forward-looking hydrogen technologies as well as the development of new climate-neutral production processes and products will not only help us achieve the ambitious climate goals of Paris but also strengthen the industrial location of North Rhine-Westphalia with green jobs.”

“With this partnership, we also emphasize the importance of the hydrogen economy for the economic development of the Rhineland,” says Dr. Dieter Steinkamp, Chairman of the Board of RheinEnergie AG. “Together, we will develop concrete projects to enable energy supply and mobility in the Rhineland without climate-damaging greenhouse gas emissions. Hydrogen is a key technology, especially for a green heating transition.”

Making new energy ideas in transport and logistics a reality

“Green hydrogen produced from renewable energy sources represents an important key technology for a sustainable energy supply for industry as well as for applications in transport and logistics along the Rhine,” says Uwe Wedig, Chairman of the Board of HGK AG. “We are very happy to contribute to making new energy ideas in transport and logistics a sustainable reality.

Photo: © HGK / Image caption: (l. to r.) Uwe Wedig, Chairman of HGK AG, Dr. Marco Richrath, General Manager Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rheinland, and Dr. Dieter Steinkamp, Chairman of RheinEnergie AG, at the contract signing