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RWE logo: Green hydrogen is in short supply, now natural gas should increasingly serve as the basis
Photo: Caroline Seidel / dpa
The "Hydrogen Republic of Germany" was one of the major projects of the still-federal government.
The energy company RWE wants to get more involved in the presumed energy source of the future - and is cooperating with the Russian gas company Novatek.
The plan is for Novatek to deliver "blue" ammonia and hydrogen to RWE, RWE announced.
Novatek is researching whether it can extract the products in the Siberian Yamal region from natural gas.
The hydrogen should be produced from natural gas with the help of carbon capture and storage (CCS).
RWE could then deliver this to its customers in Germany and in the rest of Europe.
The basic agreement also provides for closer cooperation between companies in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) business.
RWE wants to invest 50 billion euros in alternative energies
Climate-friendly hydrogen plays a key role in the energy transition, as it can be used to replace climate-damaging carbon dioxide.
The aim is the production of hydrogen from renewable energies, so-called green hydrogen.
Since the required amount cannot initially cover the demand, hydrogen is still often produced from natural gas, which is a fossil fuel - and the demand for this "blue" hydrogen is growing.
The CCS method is intended to reduce CO₂ emissions.
Hydrogen can power truck fuel cells and is used as the basis for gaseous and liquid fuels.
In Germany, it is an important part of the energy and mobility transition in order to achieve climate neutrality in the long term.
The safeguarding of the fluctuating green electricity generation could be done by gas-fired power plants, which also use green hydrogen for production.
"But until that happens, interim solutions such as gas, LNG and blue hydrogen will be needed," said Javier Moret, head of RWE Supply & Trading's LNG business.
RWE wants to invest a total of 50 billion euros in alternative energies by 2030.
On the capital market day in mid-November, RWE announced that it wanted to open up new business opportunities for hydrogen and ammonia imports.
apr / Reuters / dpa