Today Federal Minister Andreas Scheuer announced the locations of the Hydrogen Innovation and Technology Center under the umbrella of the German Center for Mobility of the Future.
Federal Minister Andreas Scheuer:
We create mobility of the future with H2. That is why we are stretching the hydrogen innovation and technology center across Germany. The result of our location competition is 3 plus 1: Chemnitz, Duisburg, Pfeffenhausen and Northern Germany. We want to support hydrogen and fuel cell technology in the west, east, south and north – holistically. The locations take up the different needs of the industry and have different focuses. Because it is important to us that each location contributes its strengths. Overall, we take a look at all modes of transport such as rail, ship, car and plane. Only in this way can we maintain jobs in Germany and at the same time make our mobility climate-friendly. So that the locations can start their work quickly, we will provide up to 290 million euros by the end of 2024. The federal states are also giving the projects a hand. With today’s decision, we are taking another important step on the way to making Germany a “hydrogen country”.
To the Innovation and Technology Center Hydrogen (ITZ):
Promoting fuel cell technology in Germany is what drives us in creating the ITZ . With the ITZ , the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) is implementing a measure of the National Hydrogen Strategy from June 2020. With the hydrogen center, a development and test facility is to be created that has offers that are not or not sufficiently available on the market . A special focus should be on strengthening the competitiveness of startups , founders and small and medium-sized companies. In an international context, the ITZ should also make a contribution to setting technical and economic standards. ThatITZ is to become part of the network of the German Center for Mobility of the Future.
About the location competition:
From the first phase of the competition to participate in the feasibility study for further location selection of the ITZ , 3 locations emerged as winners in April of this year. These were the three locations in Chemnitz, Duisburg and Pfeffenhausen in the Landshut district. A north German cluster for maritime and aviation applications from Bremerhaven, Hamburg and Stade was also selected to prepare a feasibility study. The Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure has commissioned a service provider, a consortium around Prognos AG , to carry out the evaluation of the location concepts and to analyze the feasibility . After an intensive evaluation process of the individual location concepts for the implementation of the ITZ and the collection of concrete requirements with the involvement of industry in the field of hydrogen and fuel cell technology, the choice of location has now been made.
To the German Center for Mobility of the Future (DZM):
With the Center for Mobility of the Future, a place is to be created that is spread over several locations and where the mobility of tomorrow will be rethought and developed. The center aims to find answers to how people can move and goods can be transported on the basis of new technological possibilities.
The DZM is supposed to create the necessary freedom to creatively, think outside the box, to think up and develop forward-looking mobility concepts in an interdisciplinary and innovative way ( think tank ), to develop them (development centers) and to test them in practice (practice campus).
A scientific connection should take place via corresponding chairs with close cooperation with industry through joint research and innovation projects. This also includes testing new technologies until they are ready for the market and providing support until new companies are founded. Development priorities here are , inter alia, hydrogen technologies, synthetic fuels, innovative logistics concepts and especially digital, platform-based mobility concepts.
Reactions from the countries:
Prime Minister Markus Söder:
Bavaria wins the hydrogen casting : We are the south pole of hydrogen in Germany. The federal government is funding the construction of the application center in the Lower Bavaria region near Landshut. Bavaria is to become an international leader in hydrogen and fuel cells.
Prime Minister Armin Laschet:
The new center for fuel cell technology ZBT in Duisburg is a great success and shows: North Rhine-Westphalia is a leader in the hydrogen economy – not only in an industrial context, but also in mobility. More than 100 companies, research institutions and associations have agreed to support the German hydrogen technology innovation and technology center in Duisburg. The pioneering concept of the North Rhine-Westphalian consortium fits in perfectly with the state government’s hydrogen strategy. In order to support this important project, the state government will support the first steps of the center development with almost 1.6 million euros and the further development by 2025 with up to 50 million euros.
Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer:
Today’s decision is a huge success for Chemnitz and all of Saxony. Chemnitz has once again shown what incredible innovative strength and creativity is available here. It is this entrepreneurial spirit that we need in Germany and Europe that makes us strong and that is good for our prosperity, for economic dynamism and for climate protection. The new innovation and technology center hydrogen will further strengthen and shape the city itself, but also the industrial and innovation locations of Saxony and Germany. With the Hydrogen and Mobility Innovation Center , we can help shape climate-friendly mobility of the future from Saxony and provide important impetus to bring new technologies from the laboratory to application.
Dr. Peter Tschentscher, First Mayor of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg:
Hamburg is the mobility metropolis in the north – as the world’s third largest location for civil aviation, as a port city and hub for international freight traffic, as a central railway hub in Europe. On the water, in heavy goods traffic and in aviation, hydrogen can replace fossil fuels and thus make logistics more climate-friendly. The future ‘ ITZ Nord’ is another strong impetus for the development of hydrogen technology in the Hamburg metropolitan region. It supports startupsas well as small and medium-sized companies in the implementation of their hydrogen projects. Hamburg is a model region for innovative climate protection. We want to show how the switch to sustainable energy sources can be achieved. I thank the federal government for this commitment and wish the ‘ ITZ Nord’ every success.
Kristina Vogt, Senator for Economy, Labor and Europe of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen:
The joint innovation and technology center at the three locations is a great success of the North German cooperation and will also become a lighthouse within the framework of the North German hydrogen strategy. Many years of experience with hydrogen, very good infrastructure and courageous ideas for the future have the ITZ Nord a place to work on sustainable mobility at sea and in the air in an even more targeted manner. Now we are all asked to create the framework conditions so that the new technologies can also be used economically.
Dr. Bernd Althusmann, Lower Saxony Minister for Economy, Labor, Transport and Digitization:
With the ITZ Nord, we want to create a range of services for industry, small and medium-sized companies and founders, and to strengthen northern Germany as a center of aviation and shipping. This gives the Stade, Hamburg and Bremen locations a great opportunity to contribute and develop their special competencies in the areas of hydrogen and fuel cell systems along the value chain.
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