Germany has agreed to cooperate with the UAE on establishing a hydrogen supply chain between the two countries as the European nation looks to pivot away from Russian gas. 

Abu Dhabi’s state-owned Adnoc has signed a deal to deliver blue ammonia to copper manufacturer Aurubis and energy companies RWE, Steag and Gewec in Germany.

A test cargo will be delivered as part of a pilot project that will be used as the basis for the expansion of imports over the next few years. 

Meanwhile, Adnoc will work with technology firm Hydrogenious, Japanese energy company Jera and German energy firm Uniper on a project to ship hydrogen from the UAE to the German port of Wilhelmshaven using liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC) technology. 

The project will initially ship blue hydrogen, although the partners hope to eventually replace this with the green variety of the fuel. 

3mn t/yr – Targeted German hydrogen demand by 2030

Research organisation the Fraunhofer Society and the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure have also agreed a knowledge-sharing partnership on hydrogen technologies. 

“There is a great need for research and direct implementation, especially in the production, storage and transport of green hydrogen in the UAE and the import and use of it in Germany,” says German federal minister of economics and climate protection Robert Habeck. 

“Today's partnerships thus make a twofold contribution: they strengthen the achievement of our climate goals and at the same time our energy security.”

Increasing imports 

Germany’s new hydrogen strategy sees demand reaching 3mn t/yr by 2030, most of which will be imported. Demand could increase to more than 11mn t/yr by 2050. 

The country is in talks with Norway over the possibility of importing large volumes of hydrogen, potentially via a pipeline.

Germany was already developing trade links with potential hydrogen suppliers before the Ukraine crisis, establishing hydrogen diplomacy offices in potential supplier countries—including in Ukraine itself.

Earlier this month, Germany signed a memorandum of understanding on hydrogen with Saudi Arabia.

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Author: Tom Young