Equinor and RWE have agreed on a strategic energy partnership between their companies. The agreement includes significant acceleration of the hydrogen economy in Germany.

The investments are contingent on the construction of a hydrogen pipeline between Norway and Germany and a German hydrogen downstream infrastructure. In anticipation of this infrastructure, Equinor and RWE propose a series of investments that would be major building blocks for European hydrogen supply and its utilisation in the power sector from 2030 onwards.

“Through this collaboration we will strengthen the long-term energy security for Europe’s leading industrial country while at the same time offer a viable route to a necessary energy transition for hard to abate industries. The collaboration has the potential to develop Norway into a key supplier of hydrogen to Germany and Europe. This is a unique opportunity to build a hydrogen industry in Norway where hydrogen also can be used as feedstock to domestic industries,” said Anders Opedal, Equinor’s CEO and president.

Equinor has the ambition to invest in clean hydrogen to Europe projects with an initial 2GW of low-carbon (blue) hydrogen production capacity in Norway by 2030 and up to 10GW by 2038. These facilities are to feed into a pipeline to Germany, which is currently being assessed by Gassco, Equinor and third parties. Provided this pipeline is in place, Equinor will transport the blue hydrogen, which RWE will purchase and use in hydrogen-ready gas plants.

In addition to this, RWE and Equinor will collaborate in projects aimed at generating green hydrogen such as offshore wind production of renewable hydrogen in Norway, Germany and countries adjacent to the proposed hydrogen pipeline.

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