Australia deal creates “bridge”
Eon wants to get away from Putin’s gas with hydrogen
03/29/2022, 4:46 p.m
Green hydrogen is considered an important building block for the energy transition in Germany. Now, Eon is teaming up with Australian company FFI to pave the way for large-scale importation into Europe. This should also reduce dependence on Russia.
The energy company Eon wants to bring green hydrogen to Germany and Europe on a large scale with its new Australian partner FFI. This should also reduce dependence on Russian energy imports. Hydrogen produced with the help of wind power and solar energy is also considered an important component of the energy transition in Germany. “We ship our sunshine to Germany,” said the head of the Australian Eon partner FFI, Andrew Forrest, in Berlin.
Both companies entered into a partnership there with the aim of creating ways to deliver up to five million tons of green hydrogen per year to Europe by 2030. A corresponding declaration of intent had been signed. The first deliveries of green hydrogen should reach Germany as early as 2024, announced Eon board member Patrick Lammers: “We’re not wasting any time.” Eon has the networks and the customers for the green energy source, FFI can generate it from renewable energies and then ship it to Europe.
The partnership comes at a time when Europe is looking to reduce its energy dependency on Russia as quickly as possible. The partners emphasized that five million tons of renewable hydrogen per year correspond to about a third of the heating energy that Germany imports from Russia.
Habeck sees a race for hydrogen
Hydrogen plays a central role in the federal government’s plans to accelerate the energy transition in Germany. “The race for the production and transport of green hydrogen on a large scale has picked up speed,” said Economics Minister Robert Habeck: “The agreement between Eon and FFI is an important step.” Both companies are now in the “pole position” to supply German industry with green hydrogen.
“Two major international companies are joining forces to build a ‘hydrogen bridge’ from Australia to Germany and the Netherlands – based on shared values and the respective capabilities to realize a project of this magnitude,” said Eon CEO Leonhard Birnbaum. “We expect a rapidly growing demand for green, renewable hydrogen, especially from our medium-sized industrial customers in the regions we serve,” added Lammers. “We cannot continue to rely on fossil fuels for our energy security and the future of our planet,” said Julie Shuttleworth, CEO of FFI.
Green hydrogen is considered an important building block for the decarbonization of industry. Numerous corporations are working on its introduction. The plastics manufacturer Covestro announced in January that it wanted to purchase green hydrogen from Australia. The steel industry also relies on hydrogen. The Federal Republic and Australia signed a hydrogen agreement in 2021 to “enable the import of sustainably produced hydrogen in large quantities.” But Germany had also intensified its cooperation in this area with the United Arab Emirates, for example. Hydrogen is considered “green” when it is produced from renewable energy such as wind or sun through electrolysis.