German Hydrogen Project Targets 50,000 Tonnes a Year From 500-Megawatt Electrolyser
Key Facts
EWE and Verbund announced on 9 October 2026 that they would develop an integrated hydrogen hub in Germany’s Wesermarsch region, named CHC Elektrolyse Jade Weser, through a standalone project company. The plan includes an electrolyser with capacity of up to 500 megawatts and annual production of around 50,000 tonnes of green hydrogen. The project remains in the development phase, with a final investment decision yet to be made. The companies plan to connect the facility to Germany’s future hydrogen network. Supplies to industry, mobility and energy could begin from 2032, according to EWE.
The selected site is south of the town of Nordenham, and the companies say they have secured the land for the long term. The site is adjacent to a 380-kilovolt power connection, with scope to expand it to the gigawatt range, according to a Verbund statement. The project also benefits, according to the announcement, from water availability, existing industrial infrastructure and the proximity of hydrogen storage facilities. These features allow production to be stored flexibly and supplies to be provided when needed, while placing the site close to industry, mobility and import corridors. The plan links hydrogen production with network and storage facilities, but remains subject to a final investment decision.
The companies place the project within an existing portfolio of hydrogen projects with combined capacity of around 400 megawatts, spanning projects under development and others already operating at the time of the announcement. The new project therefore builds on the partners’ existing activities, with planned electrolyser capacity of up to 500 megawatts alone. These figures do not mean the new capacity is available or that annual production has been achieved; the 50,000 tonnes is a planned production estimate. Verbund describes the project as bringing together the companies’ expertise, while the announcement specifies its location, network connection and potential supply start date. These elements remain part of an execution plan whose investment has not been finally approved.
The main obstacle is the project’s economics and regulatory terms, according to EWE. The company said the cost of buying electricity is weighing on viability, alongside the burden associated with renewable fuels of non-biological origin requirements, network charges and indirect emissions costs. It said these factors could hinder implementation, while a final investment decision remains open. The scale of the electrolyser or planned production alone is therefore not enough to confirm that construction will proceed. Moving from announcement to implementation depends on favourable regulatory and economic conditions, the company said.
Part of the connection plan relies on Germany’s core hydrogen network, approved by the Federal Network Agency on 22 October 2024. Agency President Klaus Müller said approval of the network “marks the starting point for creating a national hydrogen infrastructure.” He added that the network would connect future hydrogen hubs with production and consumption sites in Germany. Agency data showed that the network’s length was reduced from 9,721 kilometres in the draft dated 15 November 2023 to 9,040 kilometres in the final approval. The Jade Weser project plans to connect to this future network, linking the proposed production site to the approved national infrastructure.
The year 2032 is a potential start date for supplying the industry, mobility and energy sectors, according to EWE, if the project advances to implementation. That timetable is tied to building the facility and connecting it to the future hydrogen network, while the company’s announcement did not set a date for a final investment decision. Electricity costs, network charges, renewable fuels requirements and indirect emissions costs remain among the factors the company said are weighing on the project’s economics. The available evidence did not report a market response linked to the announcement, so the share closing price is not an indicator of investor reaction to it. The next step remains a decision on the investment before the planned supply date can become actionable.