Hydrogen is the new coal

In late 2020, Moorburg coal-fired power plant was still spewing black smoke into the skies over Hamburg. Today, one of Europe’s biggest hydrogen projects is being built at the site: the Hamburg Green Hydrogen Hub (HGHH). Construction began in December 2025. At the heart of the port of Hamburg - northern Europe’s largest contiguous industrial area - Hamburger Energiewerke has teamed up with Luxcara to build a 100 megawatt electrolysis plant. Rather than simply pursuing pilot projects, the idea is to produce hydrogen on the scale required by ports and industry. 

Siemens Energy is supplying the necessary technology. 

How hydrogen is produced 

Electrolysers split water into its constituent parts - hydrogen and oxygen. The HGHH will do this using electricity generated by wind and solar power. Hydrogen made in this way counts as “green” because its production doesn’t generate any carbon. The plant will be based on what is known as proton exchange membrane (PEM) technology, which is particularly well able to cope with fluctuating levels of renewable energies. 

How much hydrogen will the facility produce? 

From the second half of 2027, the plant is set to produce around 10,000 tonnes of green hydrogen per year. By replacing fossil fuels, this will benefit industry, mobility and the heat supply sector throughout the metropolitan region. A trailer loading station will supply the hydrogen to consumers via a network of pipelines. 

Why the Hamburg Green Hydrogen Hub is so important 

The HGHH is one of the world’s first projects aiming to decarbonise an entire port. In the longer term, there are plans to expand the facility to a capacity of 800 megawatts. As this is an Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI), Germany’s Federal Government and the State of Hamburg are providing it with a total of 154.1 million euros in funding - 70 percent from the federal government and 30 percent from the state government. The European Commission green-lighted the funding in mid-February 2024. 

How Hamburg aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2040 

The HGHH is the core element of a growing infrastructural network. In future, the Hamburg Hydrogen Industrial Network (HH-WIN) will pump the hydrogen directly to the various companies based at the port through pipelines. The grid will initially span 40 kilometres and later be extended to 60 kilometres. Hamburg wants to be climate neutral by 2040. The Green Hydrogen Hub is a key milestone along this path.