“The less we need gas”
Hydrogen cooperation with Emirates is accelerated
03/21/2022 1:22 p.m
According to Economics Minister Habeck, hydrogen is to be delivered to Germany from the Emirates before the end of this year. The minister is stepping up the pace, also because the hydrogen produced with solar power is to replace gas.
Germany is deepening its cooperation with the United Arab Emirates in research and production of hydrogen. The Ministry of Economic Affairs announced during the visit of Minister Robert Habeck in Abu Dhabi that the first deliveries to Germany should be possible this year.
Habeck wants to speed things up with green hydrogen as part of the energy transition. “The faster we are with the hydrogen, the less gas we then need,” he said during his visit to the United Arab Emirates. The development of a hydrogen economy could happen “under the pressure of time” much faster than previously planned. Habeck said he couldn’t predict the speed. “But now everyone can see that the old plans are not sufficient.”
A total of five cooperation agreements were signed for a fuel supply chain. This also includes a project to produce synthetic kerosene for aviation. Siemens Energy, Lufthansa and the Emirati company Masdar are working on the “Green Falcon” project. Synthetic kerosene is currently the only option for climate-neutral aviation. In addition, the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft concluded a science agreement with the Emirates’ Ministry of Energy.
In addition to the delivery of gas and oil as a replacement for Russian imports, the Green politician is also counting on future deliveries of hydrogen during his visit to the Arabian Peninsula, which should primarily replace natural gas in the medium term. The sunny peninsula has great potential to generate hydrogen with the help of solar systems without producing greenhouse gases. Habeck is accompanied on his trip by a large business delegation.
The minister had already agreed on an energy partnership with Qatar on Sunday. Qatar is one of the world’s largest exporters of liquefied natural gas (LNG). According to Habeck, the main thing in Qatar was to diversify the gas supply in the short term and then over a period of time in the near future. “Now in the Emirates the next phase is being prepared.”