New partnership to establish liquid hydrogen supply chain via Port of Hamburg
Source：pv magazine
As disclosed, the partnership intends to enable the import of liquid hydrogen from hydrogen-producing countries to Germany. Over the coming months, the companies are expected to assess the logistical requirements for transshipment and onward transport by road and rail.
Andreas Gorbach, Member of the Board of Management, Daimler Truck, and Head of Truck Technology, said: “Europe will continue to rely on green energy imports in the future and hydrogen will play a key role here. The partnership is an important step in this direction, and we will need more initiatives like this to strengthen Europe’s position as a leader in liquid hydrogen. What makes it special is that our Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck can not only be powered by liquid green hydrogen – the truck can also transport it via road. And the best thing about it: Hydrogen allows us to increase the speed of decarbonization – and reduce the scope and cost of the already slow expansion of the power grid.”
Annette Walter, Chief Financial Officer, Hamburger Hafen und Logistik (HHLA), commented: “Hydrogen is one of the keys to a climate-neutral future – and we at HHLA are committed to actively shaping this transformation. Liquid hydrogen plays a central role in this, as it can be transported independently of pipelines – a decisive advantage for mobility, logistics, aviation, and especially for small and medium-sized companies. Our goal is to reliably supply the industry with hydrogen via our European logistics network. The partnership with Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Daimler Truck is an important step toward making liquid hydrogen more widely available and jointly advancing decarbonization.”
Kei Nomura, Executive Central Manager, Hydrogen Strategy Division, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, stated: “Liquid hydrogen is a vital key to realizing a sustainable energy society, and we have long been committed to building the technological foundation to support it. We are very pleased to be working with HHLA and Daimler Truck to explore the feasibility of establishing an international supply chain for liquid hydrogen in Europe, starting with Hamburg. Kawasaki Heavy Industries possesses proven technologies and experience in the production, storage, transportation, and reception of liquid hydrogen. We will leverage this expertise to contribute to the development of a hydrogen supply network in Europe. Going forward, we remain committed to expanding the use of liquid hydrogen through global partnerships and accelerating the transition to a decarbonized society.”
It is understood that each partner brings a different area of expertise to the initiative: Kawasaki Heavy Industries as a technology provider in the field of hydrogen infrastructure, HHLA as a European network logistics provider, and Daimler Truck as a commercial vehicle manufacturer focusing on CO2-neutral battery-electric and hydrogen-based drive systems.
As informed, Kawasaki is working together with government agencies and related companies to develop technology for the early establishment of a hydrogen supply chain from production to transportation, storage, and usage.
HHLA’s goal is to become climate-neutral throughout the group by 2040. Furthermore, the company seeks to position itself in the area of importing and distributing hydrogen. In addition, it is said to be working on the use of fuel cells in handling equipment and in heavy goods transport.
As for Daimler Truck, it is reportedly pursuing a dual-track strategy with both battery-electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles. The company aims to achieve large-scale industrialization of fuel cell technology and commence series production of hydrogen-powered trucks in the early 2030s.
To note, this Daimler-HHLA-Kawasaki initiative seeks to attract additional companies and institutions to form a consortium that spans the entire hydrogen value chain.