All subjects
Power-to-X

Uniper selects electrolyzer for Green Wilhelmshaven project

Uniper selects electrolyzer for Green Wilhelmshaven project
Electric Hydrogen’s 100 MW electrolysis solution is engineered and pre-assembled to reduce total project costs and operating costs including all balance-of-plant equipment (photo courtesy Electric Hydrogen).

US-based startup Electric Hydrogen Company has announced that it has been selected by Germany-headed energy utility major Uniper SE as an "exclusive partner" to design a 200 MW electrolyzer plant for the large-scale electrolysis within Uniper’s Green Wilhelmshaven project in Northern Germany.

Founded in 2020 and based in the Bay Area, California (CA) and Boston, Massachusetts (MA), startup Electric Hydrogen Company (EH2) is developing a new generation of Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyzer technologies to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.

Electric Hydrogen began conducting the preliminary front-end engineering design (pre-FEED) work for the project in October 2024.

We aim to drive the efforts to decarbonize German and European industry. Uniper’s hydrogen project is a cornerstone of our plans to shape the energy transition. We’re excited to begin the pre-FEED work on this project with Electric Hydrogen, in whom we have found a partner who understands our goals and supports our vision. We want to be the most trusted partner for policymakers, industry , and society on how to make Europe’s energy supply secure, affordable, and steadily greener, said Susanne Thöle, Director of Hydrogen for Uniper.

Two major systems

Uniper’s Green Wilhelmshaven project consists of two major systems: large-scale electrolysis, which will produce green hydrogen and an import terminal for ammonia. The electrolyzer will be built in Wilhelmshaven on the site of Uniper’s former coal-fired power plant.

The ammonia import terminal will be near the first LNG terminal north of Wilhelmshaven, where a Uniper subsidiary operates.

Together, the two projects could meet a significant quantity of Germany’s projected demand for green hydrogen. Both plants will be connected via pipelines to the German hydrogen backbone and underground storage facilities in northern Germany.

With the Green Wilhelmshaven projects, Uniper aims to transform Wilhelmshaven into a central hub for green hydrogen in Germany. This is also confirmed by the “Project of Common Interest” (PCI) status granted to both projects.

Utilize green electricity

The large-scale electrolysis will use renewable electricity from wind farms, creating zero-carbon green hydrogen gas for Uniper’s industrial customers.

Green hydrogen will play a critical role in enabling industries like chemicals, steel, marine, and air transport to chart a realistic path to carbon neutrality.

According to Electric Hydrogen, decisive factors in the selection of the electrolysis technology were the company’s advanced proton exchange membrane PEM electrolysis technology and the company’s offering of a fully integrated plant design to minimize hydrogen production costs.

Electric Hydrogen’s low-cost 100 MW electrolyzer plants are available for deployment in the European Union in 2026.

Uniper is committed to becoming a leader in low-carbon energy. We’re excited to help them fulfill this mission by bringing our advanced electrolysis technology and low project cost to Wilhelmshaven as their exclusive electrolysis partner. Electric Hydrogen was founded to make the switch from fossil fuels to zero-carbon green hydrogen an economic inevitability. Green Wilhelmshaven is a monumental step toward that goal, said Raffi Garabedian, CEO of Electric Hydrogen.

Most read on Bioenergy International

Get the latest news about Bioenergy

Subscribe for free to our newsletter
Sending request
I accept that Bioenergy International stores and handles my information.
Read more about our integritypolicy here