Westküste 100: a real-world laboratory for green hydrogen

As part of the ambitious “Westküste 100” project, EDF is helping to test real-world solutions for a sustainable future using carbon-free hydrogen. The project brings together ten German partners, including our subsidiary Hymanics, to create a regional hydrogen economy in the state of Schleswig-Holstein. The idea is to roll out green hydrogen solutions for air travel, construction and heating – and pave the way for Germany’s decarbonisation on an industrial scale.

Thanks to its exposed coastline on the North Sea, Schleswig-Holstein benefits from strong wind, and the project aims to harness this natural energy to produce green hydrogen. The hydrogen will be used to manufacture climate-friendly aviation fuels and will also be fed into gas grids. What’s more, CO₂ emissions from a local cement plant will be re-used in the fuel manufacturing process.

Our particular field of expertise in the “Westküste 100” project is multi-modal systems. The Group is responsible for studying the technical specifications of the individual systems and defining the interfaces to ensure optimum system control and cost-effectiveness.

The next step in the project is establish an electrolysis plant capable of delivering up to 700 MW of power in the town of Heide. An important milestone in reaching the development targets of the national hydrogen strategy by 2030.