BP is studying the feasibility of deploying a large-scale cracker at the northern German port of Wilhelmshaven to produce hydrogen from imported green ammonia.

The “industry leading” cracker could produce up to 130,000t/yr of low-carbon hydrogen from 2028, using ammonia shipped in from BP’s green hydrogen production plants around the world.

“The development of this import facility complements BP’s global hydrogen project portfolio, as we develop a presence in a number of potential hydrogen and ammonia export locations in the Middle East, Africa and Australia, which could supply part of the European demand in the coming years,” says Felipe Arbelaez, senior vice-president for hydrogen and CCS at BP.

A key element of the plan is BP’s potential use of its existing infrastructure at Wilhelmshaven, which has a deepwater harbour, to import ammonia and export hydrogen to inland demand centres.

130,000t/yr – Potential hydrogen production

It would use the Nord-West Oelleitung terminal in which it is a participating shareholder. BP would also use existing oil and gas pipelines to send hydrogen to customers in Germany’s Ruhr industrial region and other demand centres.

Wilhelmshaven in the state of Lower Saxony is emerging as an important gateway for hydrogen imports to northwest Europe, with several projects on the table. “In order to remain competitive and resilient as an industrial location in the long term, we must ensure an affordable, climate-neutral and secure energy supply,” says Christian Meyer, the state’s minister for the environment.

“To do this, it is important that we diversify our supply sources and create fewer dependencies. BP's proposed new hydrogen centre in Wilhelmshaven can play an important role in this.”

The Wilhelmshaven project is the latest in a string of hydrogen proposals in Germany under development by BP. These include a joint venture with Danish energy company Orsted to deploy a 100MW electrolyser at the Lingen refinery. BP is also a partner in the H2 Nukleus project to build a 130km publicly accessible hydrogen network across Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia.

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Author: Stuart Penson