Uniper’s hydrogen projects in Wilhelmshaven, the “Green Wilhelmshaven Electrolyser” and the “Green Wilhelmshaven Terminal”, have been selected by the European Commission to be included in the list of Projects of Common Interest. With this, Uniper joins a number of cross-border infrastructure projects that link energy systems across EU countries. PCI status recognises that both projects support the goal of achieving a climate-neutral European Union by 2050.
These projects benefit from both accelerated authorisation procedures and funding, supporting the realisation of EU’s energy and climate goals. This recognition follows a rigorous application and evaluation process, with projects selected based on their significant contribution to sustainability, benefits for market integration, security of supply, competition, implementation progress, and proof of transparency.
With an electrolyser capacity of up to 1 GW, the large-scale Green Wilhelmshaven Electrolyser will tap into the region’s renewable energy resources to boost the domestic production of green hydrogen. The Green Wilhelmshaven Terminal ammonia terminal paves the way for the import of renewable ammonia by ship and the conversion and feed-in of hydrogen into the European hydrogen network on a large scale.
Both projects are in line with Uniper’s commitment to achieving a climate-neutral European Union by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement goals. They form a major part of the trans-European energy infrastructure, facilitating the functioning of the internal energy market, security of supply, competitive energy markets, energy efficiency and savings, and the development of new and renewable forms of energy.
In addition, Uniper took another important step towards promoting the energy transition and local infrastructure at the end of April: the photovoltaic plant planned for a landfill site in Wilhelmshaven was awarded a “Renewable Energy Sources Act” subsidy. A 19 MWp PV plant will be built on an area of around 14 hectares and is expected to generate 16000 MWh of renewable electricity per year.
With the PCI status come associated benefits including priority status, streamlined permit granting procedures, lower administrative costs, and eligibility for financial assistance under the Connecting Europe Facility in the form of grants.
