Harnessing offshore wind power to produce green hydrogen as a way to ensure sustainable Power-to-X solutions that will provide European countries with a strong foundation for reaching independence from Russian gas.

Since 2021, Invest in Denmark has assisted H2 Energy with facilitating contact to Energinet, the Municipality of Esbjerg, advisory engineers and Din Forsyning. Further, Invest in Denmark has supported H2 Energy with relevant information regarding green power availability and the development of the Power-to-X market.

H2 Energy orders a 1GW Power-to-X (PtX) plant in Esbjerg from American Plug Power. When installed, the electrolyser will be the largest capacity electrolyser installation in the world to date, and will play a central role in the Danish energy supply chain.

The technology is expected to be implemented on the plant in Esbjerg by 2024. H2 Energy will leverage its joint venture partnership with Hyundai to deliver a fleet of hydrogen-fueled trucks, and they have also entered a joint venture with Phillips 66 to build more than 250 hydrogen filling stations in Denmark, Austria and Germany. The plan is that H2 Energy will supply the hydrogen stations with the new green hydrogen from the plants in Esbjerg.

Clifford zur Nieden, director of H2 Energy Europe, remarks that Esbjerg has an ideal location for PtX due to it’s proximity to the North Sea’s offshore wind production and to large industrial clusters in Germany. For Esbjerg, the investment serves as a powerful manifestation of the city’s rapid transition away from its conventional industrial roots based in fishing and oil extraction towards becoming a powerhouse of Denmark’s green future.

The project helps the involved countries move a step in the right direction as it lowers emission levels in the transportation sector and improves energy security. By harnessing offshore wind power, Plug Power’s electrolyser technology will enable a production of 100,000 metric tonnes of green hydrogen per year and cover the fuel need of approximately 15,000 heavy-duty trucks every day.

H2 Energy has bought 11 hectares of land in Esbjerg to house the PtX plant. The plant will be the biggest of its kind in Europe, and it has been estimated that the establishment of the hydrogen ecosystem and related supply chains will create 200-300 permanent jobs in Esbjerg by 2024

The number of Power-to-X projects in Denmark is steadily increasing with approximately 30 announced projects of a combined 7 GW capacity. The 1GW Power-to-X project with H2 Energy is the largest PtX project Invest in Denmark has been a part of so far.