Hamburg – The hub for hydrogen imports from Canada ‘From Hamburg to the World’ – Hamburg and Canada agree on new hydrogen cooperation

The Canada-Germany Hydrogen and Ammonia Producer-Offtaker Conference was held at the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce on 18 March 2024. It was the first of its kind since Canada and Germany signed their energy and hydrogen alliance in 2022. Attending the event were senior politicians such as Dr Robert Habeck, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, Canadian Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, Hamburg's Senator for Economic Affairs Dr Melanie Leonard and Hamburg's Energy Senator Jens Kerstan. Around 150 representatives from Hamburg’s energy and hydrogen industry and the EEHH Cluster also took part. The purpose of the event was to build networks between Canadian producers and dealers and buyers in Germany.

H2Global funding window

A Memorandum of Understanding to establish a joint H2Global funding window was signed at the hydrogen conference in Hamburg. H2Global is a double auction model that seeks to balance out the high price of green hydrogen caused by significant investment costs and the low price at which hydrogen can be used economically.

The first auction involves the procurement of green hydrogen and its derivatives on the international market. A producer that offers the lowest price receives a long-term supply contract with the H2Global implementation company. The quantities of hydrogen procured in this way are sold to consumers in the EU for a competitive price at a second auction. The H2Global mechanism is designed to provide planning security for both hydrogen production and applications.

Fresh trajectory for hydrogen imports

EEHH member Mabanaft and the US company Pattern Energy signed a letter of intent in the presence of ministers Habeck and Wilkinson regarding a possible supply of green ammonia from Canada. Pattern Energy is planning a new facility with a daily production capacity of around 400 to. of ammonia. Powered by wind energy and hydrogen, production is earmarked to begin in the Canadian Province of Newfoundland in 2027.

The Hamburg Port Authority and the Port of Argentina entered into another agreement on a maritime corridor for the export and import of green hydrogen and its derivatives from Canada to Germany. The Port of Argentia partners with Pattern Energy in the development of Argentia Renewables, a 300MW onshore wind project for the production green hydrogen in Argentia. Both of these cooperations bring added momentum to the hydrogen economy in Hamburg.

“We are delighted to see that the German-Canadian energy partnership has started to bear fruit within a short space of time. The immense commitment shown by EEHH members and Hamburg companies demonstrates clearly that the deployment of hydrogen in the interests of Germany’s energy transition has become reality and not just a vision. With its ports and connections, Hamburg is contributing to the major success of the strategy for importing green hydrogen and will evolve into the central national and European import and distribution hub for green energy”, says Jan Rispens, Managing Director of the EEHH Cluster Agency.