Chemnitz economic region forms hydrogen alliance

The Chemnitz economic region is pooling its interests in the field of hydrogen. To this end, the Chemnitz Region Hydrogen Alliance was established today. This represents the common interest of the member companies in connecting the region to the hydrogen core network. In addition, the aim is to bring together the many stakeholders in the region and their respective hydrogen requirements and to form a common identity for the purpose of representing their interests.

The five founding members and public representatives of the alliance are the City of Chemnitz, the utility company eins, inetz GmbH, the Chemnitz Chamber of Industry and Commerce and the hydrogen technology cluster HZwo e. V. The Mayor of Chemnitz, Sven Schulze, the Chairman of the Management Board of the utility company eins, Roland Warner, the Managing Director of inetz GmbH, Jörg Scheibe, the President of the Chemnitz Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Max Jankowsky, and the Managing Director of HZwo e. V., Karl Lötsch, signed the agreement in the Chemnitz City Hall, Karl Lötsch, signed the corresponding co-operation agreement in Chemnitz town hall. Regional companies are invited to join in the interests of the Chemnitz hydrogen region.

Sven Schulze, Lord Mayor of the City of Chemnitz: "Chemnitz as a technology centre is committed to sustainable energy production. In doing so, we want to fulfil our role as a pioneer in the implementation of the National Hydrogen Strategy. By signing the hydrogen alliance today, we are now officially joining forces in Chemnitz and the region to play our part in responding to global and local challenges. That is our strength: we are working together towards a common goal. That's why the connection to the federal hydrogen core network is not open to discussion, but a matter of course."

Roland Warner, Chairman of the eins Management Board: "As the leading infrastructure service provider in the region, we are aware of the great responsibility we have when it comes to hydrogen and are facing up to it. That's why we are working very intensively on many projects. For example, we are not only calling for Chemnitz to be connected to the hydrogen core network, but are also pushing ahead intensively with the construction of a hydrogen plant. Only by working together can we succeed in advancing the topic of hydrogen for our region. We are forecasting future demand for green hydrogen in the order of 1 TWh from our major industrial consumers. We must meet this demand with our current, targeted and binding actions and agreements in order to equip the region for the future."

Jörg Scheibe, Managing Director of inetz: "As a regional grid operator, we make sure that the energy gets to where it is needed: to the customers. Many large industrial consumers in our grid area already consume over 100 GWh of energy per year. Around 80 to 90 per cent of this consumption is typically attributable to the generation of process heat during the production process, whereby only a portion of this process heat generation can be electrified. In order to meet the forecast demand for green hydrogen in the order of 1 TWh by 2032 and significantly increasing thereafter, we not only need appropriate production facilities, but also stable and sufficient grids. Integration into the hydrogen core network is of the utmost importance."

Max Jankowsky, President of the Chemnitz Chamber of Industry and Commerce: "The development of a hydrogen infrastructure in our region is more than just another industrial project - it is a clear signal for innovation, sustainable development and economic growth. Numerous institutions and companies have recognised the potential and are focusing their strategies and resources on strengthening and expanding this sector. We support this locational advantage in the interests of our member companies."

Karl Lötsch, Managing Director of the hydrogen technology cluster HZwo e. V.: "Green hydrogen is an important energy source for defossilising the industrial, heating and transport sectors as well as for security of supply. In addition, hydrogen technologies have enormous value creation potential for many companies in the Chemnitz region. We are therefore supporting the Chemnitz region in becoming one of the leading hydrogen regions in Europe. The hydrogen alliance founded today sends out a highly visible signal and is an important milestone on the way there."

Background:

The development of the hydrogen economy in south-west Saxony has great potential for value creation and job creation. At the same time, the supply of hydrogen to those Saxon companies that still use fossil fuels for their production processes and for which electrification is not possible is also a decisive prerequisite for securing existing jobs and value chains in the state in the long term. It will not be possible to cover the region's future hydrogen requirements from its own production, which means that a connection to a supra-regional supply infrastructure is absolutely essential in the interests of the region.

Against this background, the Hydrogen Alliance Chemnitz Region represents the common interest of the member companies in connecting the region to the hydrogen core network.