14 November 2023 marked an important date for sustainable mobility. Yesterday was an important day for sustainable mobility. In the presence of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst, Deputy Prime Minister of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia Mona Neubaur presented grant notifications totalling 15 million euros to representatives of Dutch company VoltH2 at the Landschaftspark Duisburg public park. Half of this will go to a pioneering hydrogen project that is being carried out with the active support of two companies of the Engineering & Natural Resources Business Unit of the TÜV NORD GROUP: the construction of an electrolyser on the TÜV NORD CAMPUS in Essen.
Essen-Frillendorf: Site of the electrolyser construction. Image Credit: VOLTH2
The expertise of the TÜV NORD GROUP was a major reason why VoltH2 chose Essen as the site for an electrolyser. André Jurres, Managing Director of VoltH2: “Due to the importance of Essen as an industrial centre and the knowledge and expertise of the TÜV NORD GROUP, we saw great potential in this project right from the start”.
During planning, VoltH2 is working closely with EE ENERGY ENGINEERS and ENCOS, two companies of the Engineering & Natural Resources Business Unit of the TÜV NORD GROUP. Both are currently working on the official application that will serve as the basis for project approval. EE ENERGY ENGINEERS was also heavily involved in the successful application of Metropole Rhein-Ruhr for the HyPerformer program of the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (abbreviated BMDV) and is supporting VoltH2 with the electrolysis sites in Gelsenkirchen and Wilhelmshaven. HyPerformer regions receive funding from the federal government for implementation-ready lighthouse projects focussing on hydrogen mobility.
The planned constructions of electrolysers in Essen and in the Climate Harbour Gelsenkirchen have now been selected as such lighthouse projects. In Essen, systems with a capacity of around 10 mW will be erected on an area of 5,000 m2.
“Hydrogen is a central pillar of the energy transition. That is why we are very pleased to have the chance to turn the Ruhr region into a hydrogen metropolis together with VoltH2”, comments Maik Tiedemann, CEO of the TÜV NORD GROUP Engineering & Natural Resources Business Unit and DMT.
Workshop at TÜV NORD Campus Explores Additional Opportunities for Hydrogen Cooperation
The grant notifications were presented as part of a trade mission to explore transnational collaboration in the field of green hydrogen. Representatives from more than 30 Dutch companies travelled to a B2B matchmaking event followed by a trade dinner organised by the Dutch Embassy. Even King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands took part in the presentation of the grant notifications.
On the next day, the group headed to the TÜV NORD Campus in Essen. There, the TÜV NORD GROUP, together with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Dutch business association FME and VoltH2, held a workshop for Dutch and German companies from the hydrogen sector. In addition to presentations on the Rhine-Ruhr site and the service portfolio of the TÜV NORD GROUP as well as information on funding options, an interactive session provided the chance to discuss needs, challenges and opportunities for cooperation.
TÜV NORD GROUP Supports Companies and Municipalities with its Own Hydrogen Initiative
The TÜV NORD GROUP has set up its own hydrogen initiative to promote the hydrogen economy throughout Germany. HydroHub pools centralised services of companies of the TÜV NORD GROUP in the field of hydrogen and supports municipalities and companies with consulting, engineering and training for the development of the hydrogen market. “We are confident that we, with the broad range of services and the expertise of various companies in the TÜV NORD GROUP, will be able to contribute to the execution of many other projects like the construction of the electrolyser in Essen“, explains Dr Carsten Gelhard, Head of HydroHub.